A Simple Necklace
by AdorableRose
Summary: Classic story of a girl getting thrown into the world of One Piece. Emiko had wondered what she was missing in her life and never realized that it was apparently a band of pirates. With a little help, she may just find something magical that is worth getting just a little bit wet for.
1. Chapter 1

AN: So I started this story a long time ago largely for myself. I am a glutton for OC insert stories and I wanted to create one of my own. I originally had no intention of sharing it but eh, I figured maybe a couple of people would get a kick out of it. I didn't change a whole lot of dialogue from the anime because I find it amusing and I'm incredibly lazy. Again, this was written largely for my own entertainment and if you don't like it, don't read it. I'll be keeping my author notes to a minimum since they always bother me in other stories and I never read them myself. If you're here, then you want to read a story so off you go!

I should be able to post quite a bit for this since I have a lot typed out. By my last count, I had over 172,000 words ready to go as soon as I get it edited a touch. Most of the 'chapters' I wrote were usually based on the episodes as I was watching them so I'll try to end the chapters I post at times that make sense. Which may not always work but I'll still try.

* * *

Should someone pass by a particular decrepit warehouse in the large generic city so late in the evening, they would probably hear sounds of a fight and someone groaning in agony. Should they wander in to said warehouse, the sight before them would probably make them pause.

Nimble fingers idly spun a dagger while amused blue eyes surveyed the man on the ground. Said man was glaring up at the owner of the eyes with utter loathing even as he clutched at his gut, blood rushing through his fingers in a vain attempt to stop himself from succumbing to his injury.

"You... Stupid bitch!" he rasped out, his jaw clenched in anger and agony.

The dagger stilled as the lithe hand gripped it loosely. A small smirk graced a perfect set of lips and the other hand flicked a strand of auburn hair over a slender shoulder.

"Now, now, Richard. No need to be so condescending. You attacked me first, I merely reacted."

"Damn you, Emiko," Richard muttered as he coughed up blood.

Emiko smiled a brightly at the dying man. She sheathed her dagger back into the holster on her thigh and deftly kicked Richard in the gut, throwing him into the wall. He slammed into it harshly and let out a sharp yell of pain as he collapsed. With a chuckle, the young woman sauntered over to where Richard was bleeding out on the floor, finally unconscious from his injuries. With a click of her tongue, she knelt next to him and prodded him none too gently with a finger.

"Meh, looks like I overdid it this time," she muttered softly. Shrugging indifferently, she stood up and brushed off her pants before turning to leave the warehouse she had lead Richard to. She may have lied just a tiny bit about simply reacting. She'd known since the previous day that Richard had been out for her blood all thanks to a few of her informants. The man had been rather upset with her for stealing a quarter of a million dollars from one of his safe houses. She scoffed lightly at the thought. It's not like the idiot needed the money.

Emiko pulled open the door, humming lightly under her breath. As she made her way out, her eyes flicked to the other dead or unconscious forms on the floor. Richard hadn't shown up alone which was perhaps the only intelligent thing he'd done. He'd brought five guys along with the intention of overwhelming her. She snickered at the idea. As if a mere five guys would be enough to take her down. She was a very skilled martial artist and her ability to wield a short blade made her deadly. The proof of that was scattered around her.

With a satisfied chuckle, she calmly slipped out of the warehouse and pulled her phone out of her pocket to glance at the time. She frowned as she realized she was late for a very important appointment. Sighing heavily, she started running down several alleys to get to her destination.

* * *

Emiko slammed the door leading to her small apartment. "I'm back!" She shouted cheerfully.

A cry of delight came from the living room followed shortly by a small blonde blur. Emiko laughed and caught the blur in her arms. A little girl about five years old looked up at her excitedly. "Emi! I'm so glad you're back."

Emiko ruffled the girl's hair, much to the girl's chagrin. "Sorry I'm a bit late, I got held up with something."

"Held up with what?" another voice asked. Emiko and the girl glanced back at the teenage boy standing in the doorway. Emiko gave him a look that silently told him to cease asking questions and he let out a frustrated sigh. The little girl wriggled out of Emiko's grasp and hopped over to the boy, oblivious to the silent exchange between the two.

"Patrick, can we watch the episode now!?" the little girl asked excitedly. Patrick glanced down at her and smiled softly.

"Sure, Mel."

"Yay!" Mel screamed, arms thrust in the air. Emiko laughed at her enthusiasm and kicked off her ankle boots. She casually followed the excited child but paused next to Patrick who hadn't moved from the doorway.

"You all right?" He murmured.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Things should be quiet for a while now," she replied.

He let out a sigh before giving her an unreadable look. She stared back at him blankly until he turned and went into the living room. Kicking her foot lightly into the carpet, Emiko bit her lip and let out a huff. _It's not like I do things without thinking it through first, she thought in irritation._ With a shrug, she wandered into the living room and smiled slightly at the sight of Mel bouncing eagerly in her chair in front of the TV. It was the weekly One Piece episode time and no one was more excited than the little girl. Emiko plopped down on the couch and stretched her arms over her head with a sigh.

"Let's gooooo!" Mel shrieked, her arms in the air once more. Emiko eyed her through lidded eyes.

"Do you ever calm down?" She asked in amusement.

Patrick snorted. "Of course not. This is One Piece we're talking about. She's more obsessed with it than anything else in the world."

Emiko laughed. "Now that's true. All right, ya brat. Let's turn it on."

Mel cheered again and Patrick turned on the show for them to watch.

* * *

Emiko tucked Mel into bed and brushed a hair from her forehead fondly. _Such a cute kid._ Quietly leaving the room, she shut the door and wandered into the kitchen where she figured Patrick would be. Sure enough, the teen was sitting at the counter, his head supported by a fist. His eyes flicked towards her as she opened the fridge and grabbed a coke. She opened it and took a swig, looking at Patrick curiously.

"I'm assuming you have something to discuss with me," she said blandly after swallowing.

Patrick scowled. "You take too many risks. You know that Mel cares about you and she would be devastated if you left one day and didn't come back."

She set her coke down and rubbed her forehead tiredly. "I'm aware of the risks, Patrick. I'm very careful and I plan for days before I make a move. I'm not an idiot."

"You're only 17! You can't plan for everything!" He bit out.

"And you're 15 so don't presume to tell me what I can and can't do," Emiko said flatly. Patrick smacked the counter with his palm in anger. He opened his mouth to retort but Emiko held up a hand to stop him. "Don't. I know, Patrick. Honestly, this last little outing should be enough to keep us all with our head above water for some time. And I made sure that the cops knew just enough to keep anyone else from interfering for a long time."

Patrick's jaw snapped shut with an audible click. He grunted in irritation but said nothing further. Emiko calmly drank her coke until it was gone, crushing the can in her hand before tossing it. She looked at him and her gaze softened. "I know you worry and I'm sorry. You know how I am when I find something that I need to resolve."

"Yeah, I do," Patrick sighed, his head hanging morosely. Emiko let out a small chuckle and poked his cheek fondly. He started in surprise and scowled at her. "What was that for?!"

"For being you. Go to bed. You have to take Mel over to Mrs. Jay's tomorrow," Emiko said in amusement. Patrick scowled harder at her before muttering under his breath and leaving the room. "You know, if you keep scowling your face will get stuck that way!" Emiko called out teasingly.

His only response was to throw a pillow from the couch at her.

* * *

Emiko laid in bed unable to sleep. It was well past 2AM but her mind was whirring at a thousand miles a minute, which she found extremely bizarre as she rarely had such a problem. Heaving a frustrated sigh, she turned to her side and stared out the window to take in the exciting view of the apartment next door. Despite all that she'd done for herself in the past several years she still felt like something was missing. It was like part of her very soul was calling out to her but she couldn't quite reach it. Every action she had taken in her life was done to stave off the feeling of isolation and loneliness that she constantly felt. When she was rushing head first into a fight or sneaking into high security vaults her adrenaline was so high that she couldn't think of anything except the next hit or the next safe to crack.

 _What am I missing? I feel like I'm about to explode and crawl out of my skin. I can tell that Patrick suspects something is going on but it's not like I can tell him. Kid has too much to worry about with Mel._

Flopping onto her back, Emiko groaned and pressed her palms to her eyes. With a snap decision, she practically flew from the bed and threw on some better clothes. A black, tight t-shirt with a pair of skinny jeans were hastily put on. With a tug, she put on her calf high boots and slipped a knife inside both. Her larger knife was strapped her right thigh and a set of specially designed throwing knives was on her left arm. Satisfied that she was properly armed, she threw on her dark gray trench coat and slipped out of the apartment silently.

"These late night strolls are getting out of hand," she muttered to herself, hands buried deep in the pockets of her coat. It wasn't remarkably cold out but she wore the trench to conceal how well armed she was. The cops could be troublesome if they spotted a young woman with multiple knives on her person. She kicked a rock on the sidewalk and glared at the path in front of her. She really needed to figure shit out before she did something truly suicidal. As she passed a random alley, a flicker of movement at the corner of her eye made her pause. Glancing down the alley curiously, she strained her senses to detect if there were any threats in the darkness. Feeling nothing, she shrugged and was about to continue on when a small light caught her eye.

Frowning, she hesitantly walked into the alley, a hand on her dagger out of caution. The light dimmed behind a dumpster and she became even more perplexed. Slowly, she made a wide berth around the dumpster and peered to where the light was coming from. There, on the ground, was a simple necklace with a ruby on a white gold chain. Her eyebrows shot up to her hairline in disbelief. "The hell..." She whispered softly. Hesitantly, she reached out for the necklace and when her fingers made contact, the previously dull light burst into eyeball scorching levels. With a yelp she moved a hand to cover her eyes but the feeling of falling suddenly gripped her. Her mouth opened to let out a soundless scream and her eyes rolled back into her head.


	2. Chapter 2

She awoke slowly, painfully, to the sounds of a busy street and the smell of food. With a small grunt of pain, her eyes fluttered open and she looked around through bleary eyes. After several seconds of disorientation, she forced herself into a sitting position and tried to wake herself up enough to figure out what was going on. The alley she was currently in was most definitely not the same one she'd been in before she'd passed out. With a quiet groan, she clambered to her feet and half stumbled to the end of the alley. Peering outwards, her eyes widened in disbelief.

This was most definitely not the same town she'd lived in for the past few years.

Her jaw dropped at the sight of people bustling around frantically and shouts of laughter came from what looked like a nearby pub. Snapping her jaw shut, her eyes darted around swiftly as her heart started to race. Where the hell was she?!

Everything came to a screeching halt as her eyes spotted something familiar. Two men were walking down the street wearing blue and white uniforms, a hat on their heads that said 'Marine'. Feeling like she had been hit very hard in the stomach, she half bent over as her brain registered what she was seeing.

"Impossible..." She whispered, eyes still glued to the men as they walked down the street.

Once they had passed the alley she was half hidden in, something inside her snapped and she collapsed back onto the ground in a trembling heap. Panting heavily, she pressed her hands to her temples and forced herself to slow her breathing before she passed out again.

"Calm down... Calm down... Now think, you could just be dreaming or in some kind of hallucinogenic state..." As her breathing slowed, she pinched herself hard on the forearm and winced at the pain. "Okay, not a dream most likely. I don't think I ever remember having a dream that had corresponding smells anyway. All right, so drugged? Maybe?"

She closed her eyes and focused inwards so she could slow her heart rate further and clear her mind. She'd been drugged before so she knew how it felt as drugs raced through her veins. After several minutes of meditation, her eyes snapped open. She'd sensed nothing in her system to indicate that she'd been drugged. With a frustrated noise, she looked at the alley again in resignation. "So, I'm not asleep and not drugged. That leaves the nearly impossible reality of being in the world of One Piece." The statement brought a strangled laugh from her throat. With a whimper, she pressed her hand to her forehead and breathed out slowly to stop herself from bursting into tears.

"Well then, might as well sneak around a bit and see if I can figure out where I am."

Decision made, she eased herself up and swept out of the alley as if doing so was perfectly normal. She blended in with the crowds easily and kept her eyes peeled for anything familiar. She'd made it about halfway down the street when she spotted something else that made her freeze.

Casually walking down the street was none other than Straw Hat Luffy and young Coby.

She shut her eyes tightly and opened them again in disbelief. This just kept getting more and more insane with every passing second. _Wait..._ She thought suddenly. _If Luffy and Coby are here, then that means this must be the town that Zoro was tied up in..._

Part of her relaxed at the thought as having more information about her circumstances calmed her immensely. Even though the situation was still utterly absurd and she was only barely keeping herself from curling into a ball to sob like a child, the additional tidbit of information was all she needed to keep pushing forward. Curiously, she decided to follow them to see if they were headed to the Marine base. _Might as well take a peek at Zoro while I'm here. Then I can figure out my next step._

* * *

Emiko's eyes danced in amusement at the sight of Coby and Luffy peering over the wall at who she assumed was Zoro. She casually flung herself up next to Coby and peered over as well. "Whatcha lookin' at?"

Coby let out a girlish shriek and fell off the wall. Luffy looked over at the girl who was blinking owlishly at Coby, who was rolling on the ground in surprise and pain from his fall. He inspected her curiously, taking in her lightly curled hair auburn and pretty features with a glance. His eyes trailed down to peer at her clothed figure and caught sight of the dagger on her thigh. "Who are you?" He asked her cheerfully.

Emiko looked up at Luffy, meeting his dark eyes with her own blue eyes. She blinked at him a few times in surprise upon finding him surprisingly attractive in his own way. He tilted his head at her expectantly and she snapped out of her reverie with a shake of her head. "Oh, I'm Emiko. Who are you?"

"I'm Luffy!" Luffy said with a giant grin. He gestured to Coby who was looking up at the girl with distrust. "And that's Coby."

"Nice to meet you. Now what are you two looking at?" Emiko asked, looking back towards Zoro who was of course, tied to a post in the middle of the yard. Luffy glanced at him too.

"He's gonna be a member of my crew!" Luffy exclaimed, his eyes practically burning with excitement. Emiko looked at Luffy in amusement.

"Your crew?"

"Yep! My pirate crew! I've decided he is gonna join!"

Coby chose that moment to snap himself out of his daze and looked at Luffy in mild horror. "Don't go announcing to random people that you're a pirate! What if she's a spy!?"

Luffy and Emiko both looked at the pink hair boy. "But it's true," Luffy said blankly.

Emiko snickered at the pair of them. She looked at Coby with an eyebrow raised. "I'm not a spy but I am very good at getting into places I shouldn't be. And disappearing." She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "I suppose I could be a spy after a fashion."

Coby's hair stood on end as he pointed at her, his eyes wide in frightened horror. "See!? She just admitted it!"

Luffy just laughed at the boy but he glanced Emiko with renewed interest.

"Oi! You three! Shut the hell up and get out of here!"

The three of them paused their conversation to look over at the man in the yard, who was glaring at them from underneath his bandana. Emiko rolled her eyes while Luffy practically vibrated with childish excitement. Coby's face turned to panicked horror once more as Zoro's glare settled on him. A ladder popped up next to the three and a small girl climbed it with a smile, leaping down into the yard. Emiko sighed and propped her head up on her hand, silently wondering if she should interfere at all or just let things play out. Luffy watched the girl curiously as she walked up to Zoro, offering him food. Zoro resolutely refused it and told the girl to scram. Emiko's eyes flicked towards the gate just as Helmeppo walked through it.

"Oi, Zoro! That's no way to talk to a child," Helmeppo sneered. The two Marines next to him stayed silent as they looked at the pair. Emiko was unsure if they stayed quiet due to Helmeppo's presence or Zoro's. Probably the latter.

Zoro turned his icy glare towards Helmeppo but said nothing. Helmeppo snatched up one of the rice balls the girl had made and ate it swiftly, ignoring the girl's protests. He instantly spat it out in disgust.

"It's sweet! You're supposed to use salt, you stupid girl!" Helmeppo screeched. The girl flinched and tears formed in her eyes.

"But... I thought it would be better if it was sweet..." She sniffed a few times and Emiko clenched her fist in anger. Seeing Rika cry reminded her of Mel and that made her want to gut the stupid halfwit so he bled out slowly. Helmeppo stomped on the other rice ball, causing Rika to cry out again.

"Little twit. Didn't you hear the decree! Anyone who helps criminals is to be immediately executed, orders from Navy Captain Morgan! You! Throw her out immediately!"

The Marine that Helmeppo pointed at looked horrified at the order but swallowed thickly before grabbing the girl and throwing her over the wall. Emiko watched as Luffy reached out and caught the girl, saving her from the fall. Seeing him stretch in person was extremely weird but also very cool. Rika thanked Luffy for saving her and he just grinned. He launched himself over the wall and approached Zoro. Emiko also leapt down from the wall and sauntered up to the pair.

"I hear you're a bad guy," Luffy said.

"You're still here?" Zoro asked him, his face twisted in annoyance. Zoro's eyes shifted over to Emiko who wiggled her fingers at him in hello. He merely scowled at her and focused back on Luffy.

"Being stuck out here for all to see... Are you really strong at all!?" Luffy asked, his eyebrows raised skeptically.

"Mind your own business!" Zoro shouted.

Emiko hummed, "He must have some decent quality for a little girl to risk her life to give him a rice ball. Maybe he played house with her."

"Oi! Shut up you stupid woman!"

Luffy laughed at the two of them. "If it was me, I would have died from hunger in three days!"

Zoro smirked at him, "I've got more spirit than you. I _will_ live through this. I swear it."

"Ehhh! What a strange person!" Luffy said as he turned to leave. Emiko turned to follow the rubber man but Zoro's voice halted them.

"Wait! Could you pick that up?"

The pair paused and looked at where Zoro was staring, noting the squashed rice ball. Luffy looked up at him blankly.

"You're gonna eat this? It's mostly mud and dirt now."

"Shut up and give it to me!"

Luffy shrugged and shoved it into his mouth. Zoro chewed and swallowed the food swiftly. Emiko smiled slightly as Zoro thanked Luffy for the food. Luffy just grinned brightly and the two left the Marine yard.

* * *

Back in town, Luffy was telling a much happier Rika that Zoro had eaten every bite of her rice ball. The girl clasped her hands together. "I'm so happy!"

Coby slumped on the steps. "Is Zoro really as evil as the rumors say?" Rika gasped and whirled around, glaring at the boy.

"No! He let himself get crucified in our place! Helmeppo brought his vicious dog to our restaurant. He was scaring the customers and I tried to stop it... Zoro saved me from being attacked and hit Helmeppo. Helmeppo told Zoro that he'd spare me and my mom from being executed if he could survive one month without food, strung up in the yard. Zoro... He agreed to the terms... He's been stuck there for almost a month because of me!" Rika cried, her eyes bright with tears. Emiko stroked the young girl's head sympathetically. Luffy stared up the sky thoughtfully and Coby muttered under his breath. A sudden crash from nearby jerked them all up as they heard Helmeppo's voice demand free food.

Luffy and Emiko walked into the restaurant as Helmeppo continued to spout nonsense. "Ah! I've been bored lately so I've decided to execute Zoro tomorrow. Look forward to it!" Helmeppo laughed and Emiko's hand twitched towards dagger. Luffy reached out and grabbed her wrist tightly without looking at her. She glanced at him curiously but he kept his eyes focused on Helmeppo, his face neutral but his eyes blazing with fury. He let go of her wrist and flung himself forward, hitting Helmeppo in the jaw.

Helmeppo looked at Luffy in shock after he recovered from the hit. "W-What the hell are you doing?!"

Emiko had already moved behind Luffy and put her hand on his shoulder to stop him from beating Helmeppo into a bloody mess. Coby wrapped his arms around Luffy's left arm and tugged frantically. "Luffy! Don't!"

"This guy is scum!" Luffy snarled. Emiko tightened her grip on his shoulder and leaned in.

"Not here, Luffy. Wouldn't want to damage this nice lady's store," she whispered in his ear. Luffy relaxed a fraction but didn't soften his glare at Helmeppo.

"You hit me! I'm Captain Morgan's son, you know!"

"So what?!" Luffy demanded angrily.

Helmeppo glared at Luffy through the tears in his eyes, still clutching his throbbing face. "I'm gonna tell my dad and he's gonna execute you!"

"Fight me yourself!"

"L-Luffy-san! Please calm down! Are you trying to make an enemy of the Navy!"

"Coby, I've decided. I'm... Going to have Zoro join my crew!" Coby looked up at the rubber main in shock and Emiko dropped her hand with a small laugh. Helmeppo took the moment to scurry away from the restaurant.

"Whaaaaat?!" Coby cried out. Luffy looked at Coby, his eyes fiercely determined.

"Yosh! Let's go, Coby! Emiko, you coming?"

Emiko shrugged helplessly, "I can't let you have all the fun. Things seem to be far more exciting around you."

Luffy grinned at her as Coby looked at her in horror. "You're crazy!"

Emiko merely laughed and followed Luffy out of the restaurant, Coby hot on their heels.


	3. Chapter 3

Luffy and Emiko approached Zoro in the yard and stopped a few feet in front of him. Zoro snapped awake with a gasp and noticed their presence.

"You two again? You sure have lots of free time."

"I'll untie you, so join my crew!"

"What did you say?!" Zoro asked incredulously.

Luffy walked up to him, "I'm looking for people to join my pirate crew." He stopped and put his hands on his hips.

"Forget it! Me, stooping to a criminal's level?!" Zoro snapped out, his eyes flashing in irritation.

"What's wrong with being a pirate?" Luffy asked with a pout.

Emiko let out a light laugh. "Most people think pirates are scum, Luffy."

Luffy glanced back at Emiko, missing Zoro's nod. "That's right. Pirates are despicable. As if I'd wanna be one!"

"Oh, come on! You're already known as an evil bounty hunter!" Luffy said in exasperation, turning back to Zoro.

Zoro snorted derisively. "People can say whatever they want, but I ain't done anything I regret. I _will_ live through this and accomplish what _I_ want!"

Luffy stared at him blankly. "Maaah. That so?" He grinned suddenly and crossed his arms. "But I've decided you're gonna join me!"

"Quit deciding on your own!" Zoro roared. Emiko laughed at the pair of them.

"I get the feeling that when Luffy makes a decision, the only thing that would stop him is death. And even then, I think he'd somehow manage to keep going," Emiko said dryly, her arms behind her head. Luffy looked over at her big grin.

"Emiko! Be my nakama!" Luffy declared, pointing at her suddenly.

Emiko blinked at the appendage in front of her face. "Me?" She asked incredulously. She looked at Luffy and saw the fierce determination in his eyes. They stared at each other for a moment before Emiko sighed and shrugged a shoulder. "Okay."

"Yaaataaaa!" Luffy cried victoriously, arms in the air. Zoro looked at her as if she was crazy.

"Just like that?!"

Emiko's lips twitched in amusement. "He made a strong case."

"He didn't make a case! He made a demand!" Zoro snapped out.

Luffy laughed happily before turning back to Zoro, his grin confident. "I hear you use swords."

Zoro slumped slightly. "Yeah. But that stupid blonde idiot took my stuff..."

"I'll go get it back for you!"

"What?!"

"So if you want your sword, join my crew!" Luffy said with a laugh.

"You're really getting on my nerves!" Zoro yelled, teeth razor sharp as he glared at Luffy. Luffy just ignored him and ran away with another laugh. Emiko pressed her hand to her mouth to prevent the laughter from escaping. Zoro turned his glare towards her but she merely smiled at him. She glanced over at Luffy and rolled her eyes.

"Oi! Captain! The base is in the other direction!"

Luffy paused and launched his arms towards the base, missing Emiko who had casually side stepped out of the way. Zoro's eyes bulged out of his head as Luffy rocketed past them.

"W-What the hell is he?!"

Emiko hummed and spun her dagger in her hand. "He's a rubber man. He ate a devil fruit."

Zoro eyed the auburn haired woman in front of him. "You just going to let him break in by himself?"

"Yep! He'll be fine," she said with a cheerful smile. Zoro scowled and eyed the dagger that she was expertly twirling.

"You gonna cut me loose?"

"Nope!"

"WHAT!?" He shouted angrily.

Emiko chuckled, eyes dancing with amusement. "Can't have you catching up to the Captain and getting back your swords before he has had the final say. So hush and relax. You'll be out in a few minutes anyway."

Zoro grit his teeth and gave the girl his most furious glare. Emiko just laughed at him again, completely immune. Zoro lessened his glare slightly and his gaze turned a bit incredulous. "Who the hell are you anyway?"

Emiko put her free hand on her hip and cocked her head to the side. "I'm Emiko. Consider me our crew's spymaster and infiltration specialist for now. I'm sure Luffy will have me doing something else when he gets around to it."

"I ain't part of your crew!"

Emiko merely smiled magnanimously and glanced over at the base expectantly. She burst into laughter as the top half of Morgan's statue fell from the top of the tower and shattered on the ground. Zoro looked at her as if she'd grown a second head. "What is with these people!?"

* * *

Luffy dragged a screaming Helmeppo down the hallway, looking at the numerous doors as he passed them. "Zoro's sword! Where is it!?" Luffy asked.

Helmeppo continued to cry in pain and fear, "I'll tell you! Please! Just stop!" Luffy came to a sudden halt and looked at Helmeppo expectantly.

"In my room, which we just passed," Helmeppo said weakly, pointing back behind him.

Luffy huffed in annoyance. "Well why didn't you say so sooner?!"

* * *

Emiko subconsciously shifted her stance and her grip on her dagger as she heard Coby run up behind her. "Hey! Help me free him!" Coby said desperately. He started tugging furiously at the ropes that held Zoro but Emiko merely watched him impassively. The sound of people running towards her made her sigh in resignation and she half turned to watch the numerous Marines rushing up to them. Navy Captain Morgan was stomping furiously towards the three, his eyes burning with rage.

"You goddamn traitors! Do you know who I am?! I am Navy Captain 'Axe-Hand' Morgan! How dare you defy me by coming here!" Morgan shouted in his rage. "Kill the traitors!"

Coby shrieked and fell to the ground in a heap. Emiko didn't move from her position next to Zoro and simply looked at the Marines, an unimpressed look on her face. The Marines took aim with their rifles and Morgan's fury mounted higher at the lack of a reaction from the auburn haired girl.

"FIRE!"

Emiko rolled her eyes and Zoro tensed, waiting for the bullets to pierce his flesh. A shout from above sounded at the same moment that the guns went off. Luffy landed in front of the three of them and held out his arms, the bullets hitting his rubber skin.

"LUFFY-SAN!" Coby cried out in fear.

"What the!" Zoro's jaw dropped.

Emiko just let out a laugh as Luffy flung the bullets everywhere with a grin. "That doesn't work!"

The Marines stared at the rubber man in shock, some of them falling to the ground due to their trembling legs. Luffy laughed as he stretched out his arms. "I told you I was strong!"

"W-Who the hell are you?!" Zoro demanded.

Luffy turned around and grinned at Zoro. "I'm Luffy! The man who's gonna be the King of the Pirates!"

"What?! The King of the Pirates?! Do you even know what that means!?"

Luffy looked at Zoro blankly. "King of the Pirates is King of the Pirates. Are there any other meanings?"

"I think what he's asking, Luffy, is if you realize that it means going to the Grand Line," Emiko chimed in casually. She'd taken a few steps closer to the pair so she could cut Zoro's bonds when the Marine's started chasing at them with swords. Luffy looked at Emiko curiously.

"Of course! Where else would I go?" Luffy asked. He looked at the dagger she had in her hands and tilted his head to the side. "Why didn't you cut Zoro down?"

Emiko smirked, "I figured you wouldn't want him trying to nab his swords from you and making a run for it. I assumed you wanted him as your first mate."

Luffy grinned, "Good thinking! Thanks!"

"Anytime. Now, shall we finishing freeing the swordsman so we can deal with these guys?" She asked, gesturing to the still shell-shocked Marines.

"Ah! Yes. Zoro! I got your treasure! Which is yours? I couldn't tell, so I brought three of 'em."

"All three are mine. I use the Three-Sword Style."

Luffy hummed, "You'll take them right? If we fight together now, you'll be a government-defying villain! Would you prefer that, or being killed by the navy strung up like this?"

"What are you, the devil's son?! Well, whatever. I'll be your pirate if I'm just gonna die here instead!" Zoro said with a smirk.

Luffy threw his arms up with a cheer. "Hurray! So you'll be my nakama!? Alright! Woo-hoo!" Emiko shook her head as her new Captain cheered excitedly at the thought of his new nakama.

"Okay! Now cut these stupid ropes already!" Zoro shouted at the celebrating teen.

Luffy stopped his celebration and moved to tug at the ropes. Emiko's amusement grew with every passing second as Luffy tried in vain to get the ropes undone while Zoro shouted at him to hurry. At her laugh, Zoro's eyes flew to her and a tick mark appeared on his forehead. "YOU! You have a goddamn knife! Cut me down already!"

Emiko waved her hand dismissively, "Goodness, in such a rush. Fine fine." As she approached the small group, the Marines had finally gotten their act together and were running at the group with their swords drawn. "Allow me, Luffy," Emiko said with a smile. Luffy moved his hands away and the ropes were cut instantly. Zoro grabbed his katana just in time to block all of the Marines.

"So cool!" Luffy called out, stars in his eyes.

Emiko let out a huff and sheathed her dagger again. _At least now I can relax a bit_ , she thought dryly. Zoro looked at the three of them calmly.

"I'll be your nakama but I'll tell you this right now. I'm only going to fulfill my ambition."

"Ambition?" Luffy asked, with a tilt of his hat covered head.

"To be the world's greatest swordsman! If I wind up having to give that up, you'd better accept responsibility and apologize to me!" Zoro declared, his eyes narrowed on Luffy.

"The world's greatest swordsman? That sounds great! The King of the Pirates would need no less than that on his crew!" Luffy replied, his mouth twisted in a confident smirk.

"Tsk. You sure talk big. At this point, whether it's as a criminal or whatever else, I _will_ spread my name throughout the world!"

Morgan chose that moment to open his stupid mouth and spout some orders to his Marines to kill them all. Emiko yawned theatrically in response as Luffy grinned. "Duck, Zoro!"

Zoro's eyes widened as Luffy's leg drew back.

"Gomu gomu no... WHIP!" His leg shot out and flung all of the Marines off Zoro. The Marines hit the ground with varied groans of pain.

"You did it!" Coby cried out victoriously.

Zoro eyed Luffy. "Rubber man, huh?"

"Yep! I ate the Gumu Gumu no Mi fruit!"

The Marines heard the statement and immediately started to panic. Morgan grit his teeth in anger. "This is a new order! Anyone that just spouted such weakness must now shoot themselves in the head! I have no need for weakling soldiers!"

"Tsk. What an asshole. This guy is getting on my last nerve," Emiko spat. Luffy's eyes narrowed on Morgan for a moment before he ran forward.

"Luuuuffy-san!" Coby called out. "Crush this navy!"

Morgan blocked Luffy's punch with his axe and threw off his cloak dramatically. "Rankless, low-status bums have no right to defy me! I am Navy Captain 'Axe-Hand' Morgan!"

"I'm Luffy! Nice to meet ya!" Luffy said seriously.

Morgan glared at him and swung his axe, "DIE!"

Luffy jumped up, easily dodging the attack. Using his feet, he struck Morgan hard in the face. The battle continued between the two, with Luffy clearly having the upper hand.

"You call yourself the navy!? You've destroyed Coby's dream!" Luffy shouted while repeatedly hitting Morgan in the face.

Emiko, having sensed Helmeppo coming up behind her, didn't react when he held a gun to her head.

"Hold it, Straw Hat! Check this out!" Helmeppo screamed, the gun shaking in his hand as he held it to her head. Coby shivered and slipped closer to Zoro who was looking at Helmeppo darkly. Luffy kept wailing on Morgan, much to Helmeppo's displeasure. "I said hold it! Are you stupid!? Pay attention! I have one of your nakama hostage here!"

Luffy froze mid punch and slowly turned his gaze to Helmeppo, his hat covering his eyes. "Ooooh?"

The gun in Helmeppo's hand shook harder. "I-if you value this girl's life, don't move! One move and I'll shoot!"

Luffy tilted his head back and stared at Emiko, who raised an eyebrow in silent question. A few seconds passed before Luffy's expression changed to his trademark grin. Emiko took that as a sign that she could take action and she did so swiftly. With practiced ease, her hand snaked out to wrench the gun from Helmeppo's grasp and her foot lashed out to hit him hard in the side. Helmeppo flew away from her with a strangled yelp and laid twitching on the ground from the force of the blow. Emiko frowned at the gun before tossing it over her shoulder nonchalantly. "People with guns get over confident."

Luffy laughed and didn't give any indication that he noticed Morgan coming up behind him oozing killing intent. Emiko made eye contact with Zoro for a second who merely smirked at her.

"I am Navy Captain 'Axe-Hand' Morgan!" Morgan began to bring the axe down on Luffy's head but froze just at the top of his hat. Luffy glanced back as Morgan fell to the ground, defeated.

"Zoro."

"My pleasure, Captain."

Luffy grinned again and the Marines looked at the unconscious Helmeppo and his father in awe. Cries of joy rippled through the crowd of Marines as Zoro and Luffy looked on in confusion. Emiko walked up to the monster duo and watched the Marine's celebrate.

"Huh? Everyone's happy their captain's been beaten..." Luffy muttered. Coby skipped over to the three of them, his face beaming.

"Everyone was just afraid of Morgan!" Coby said happily.

Emiko smiled but her smile dimmed as Zoro collapsed to the ground with a grunt. Coby gasped in shock.

"What's wrong? Is he hurt?!"

"I'm... Hungry..." Zoro murmured. Emiko walked over to him and nudged him with her foot.

"You won't get any food if you stay here on the ground, you big lug. I know you have the energy to walk to the restaurant."

Zoro gave her a half-hearted glare but pushed himself up. Luffy laughed again and the foursome made their way to Rika's restaurant.

* * *

Emiko watched in utter amazement as Luffy and Zoro inhaled food at a rate so fast that she was pretty sure that it was vanishing before it was even fully cooked. At one point during the meal, Luffy had tried to take something from her plate but a well-placed dagger between his fingers had stopped him cold. After she'd satisfied her own hunger, she'd sat back and watched as the two absorbed the food.

Finally finished, Zoro leaned back in satisfaction. "Ahhh! That was great!"

Luffy looked at Zoro with his mouth full of food. "You're finished already?"

"How the hell can you have a bigger appetite than me?!" Zoro asked, pointing at the dishes in front of him.

"It tastes good! Right, Emiko? Coby?"

Coby rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "Thank you for treating me to food too..."

Emiko nodded her head politely, "Thank you."

Rika's mother smiled. "It's no problem! The town _has_ been saved, after all!"

Rika looked up at Luffy with stars in her eyes. "You're so amazing!"

"Yep! I am! And I'm gonna be even more amazing! Cause I'm gonna be the Pirate King! And I even have a crew!"

Zoro and Emiko both looked at him at the statement. "So, how many others have you gathered besides us?" Zoro asked. Luffy shoved another piece of meat in his mouth and looked at Zoro, blinking owlishly. "You said you were in the middle of gathering a crew. To be the king of the Pirates, you must have gathered a good number."

"Just you two."

Zoro's jaw dropped. "What!? Then..." He pointed to Emiko, himself, and Luffy in turn.

"Yep! Just the three of us!" Luffy said happily. Emiko let out a chuckle.

"We're just going to call us three a pirate crew?!"

"What's wrong with that? We _are_ strong!" Luffy said, a pout on his face. Zoro leaned forward and eyed their captain incredulously.

"What about a ship. Where's your pirate ship?"

"There!" Luffy said, pointing with his fork. Zoro's eyes popped out of his head at the sight of the small boat.

"That."

Luffy stretched his arms out wide. "We'll have a ship _this_ big before long!"

Zoro burst into hysterical laughter. "And how's that?!"

"Someone will give us one, I'm sure," Emiko said offhand which had Zoro looking at her skeptically. She smiled at him before taking a sip of her drink innocently.

"And I'd like a pirate flag, too!" Luffy continued, ignoring his nakama in favor of his daydream. Zoro slumped in his chair and pressed his fingers to the bridge of his nose in vexation. Coby laughed nervously.

"I think Luffy-san was born without any sense of planning..."

"Did I really make this guy my captain?!" Zoro muttered under his breath.

"We'll get more crew members before long!" Luffy declared, shoving even more food into his mouth. Emiko eyed him and nodded in agreement.

"Things will work out," she said calmly. Zoro looked at her blandly.

"You're far too accepting of all this. Are you sane?"

Emiko threw him an annoyed look. "Of course I'm sane. Besides, I'm very good at planning so with me around, we'll be very ready for the Grand Line when we go."

At her statement, Coby spat out his drink. "You still only have three members! There's no way you can go there! No way! No way! No way! It's an intense battlefield and even called a pirate graveyard!" He finished his declaration with a shudder. Rika's mother frowned and pat him on the shoulder.

"I've heard from other patrons that whoever enters the Grand Line never comes out alive..." She said softly. Luffy swallowed his bite and gave them a frown.

"But, the One Piece is there somewhere, so that's where we're going!"

Zoro leaned back in his chair and smirked. "Guess it can't be helped."

Coby jumped off his chair and looked at Zoro, "Not you too, Zoro-san!?"

"Sounds like if I ever wanted to have the adventure of a lifetime, the Grand Line is the place," Emiko said cheerfully. _And who knows. Maybe a way back home is there too. How clichéd would that be?_ She thought to herself. Coby looked at her, the color draining from his face.

"Even you, Emiko-san?!"

"What's it to you? You're not going," Zoro said bluntly.

"N-no, but I'm worried about you! Is that so wrong?! Luffy-san and I haven't known each other long, but we _are_ friends!" Coby stammered out. He looked at Luffy, his eyes glossy. "Right?"

"Yeah! We're gonna part ways but we'll always be friends!" Luffy said with a grin. Coby smiled and looked at the ground.

"Since I was a little kid, I've never had friends... Much less anyone who would fight for my sake... But more than anything, I never tried to fight for anything..." Coby whispered half to himself. He looked up to Luffy, his eyes no longer glossy with tears but bursting with excitement. "But you taught me how to live for my beliefs! I've decided to make my childhood dream come true! I want to join the navy!"

"Shouldn't you be more worried about yourself, then?" Zoro asked wryly. Emiko smacked his arm and he scowled at her in retaliation. "Even if you were just a chore boy, you _did_ spend two years on Alvida's pirate ship," Zoro continued. "Don't underestimate the navy's info-gathering skills. If they ever find out about that, you'll never get to join."

"N-Now that you mention it..." Coby muttered. His train of thought was interrupted by the entrance of several Marines. The Marines approached the pirates briskly.

"Is it true that you are pirates?" The Marine asked, almost politely.

"Yeah! We gained a few members and just formed a Pirate crew just now!" Luffy said with his usual cheer and charm.

The Marine in front nodded his head. "We appreciate that you saved our base and this town from that tyrant! However, now that we know you are pirates, in the name of Navy we cannot allow you to remain in town! You will leave this town at once! Out of obligation, we will refrain from contacting headquarters."

The other people in the restaurant gasped and muttered angrily at the statement. Despite the protests, the Marine's remained unmoved. Emiko mocked pouted and looked at Luffy expectantly. With a grin, he got up and stretched.

"Well, guess we should go then! Thanks for the food, lady!"

Zoro and Emiko headed for the door, Luffy following behind them with a sack of food over his shoulder. He passed Coby without comment. The Marine looked at Coby who had grown stiff as the pirates left. "Aren't you one of their nakama?"

Luffy paused at the door and glanced back as Coby stumbled over his tongue. Emiko ignored the group and walked out of the restaurant a bit further before pausing to wait for Luffy's poor acting to be completed. The sound of someone being hit over and over along with dishes crashing to the ground made her smile a bit. The surrounding Marines stared into the restaurant in shock as Luffy beat Coby. More shouts from the Marines were heard as the fighting stopped. Zoro and Luffy casually walked out of the restaurant and Emiko arched an eyebrow at the pair. Luffy merely smirked and threw his arm over her shoulders as he passed, dragging her along with him as they left the town.

"So... Did they buy that little act?" Emiko asked dryly as soon as they were out of earshot. Zoro snorted.

"Not at all."

"Hey! I wasn't that bad!" Luffy protested. Emiko gave the hand that was on her shoulder a sympathy pat, which caused him to tighten his hold and pout at her adorably. Her cheeks colored slightly at the action so she forced her mind to other things to distract herself.

"Good way to leave though. Being unable to turn back because everyone hates you. It's pirate-like!" Zoro said in amusement. Luffy laughed and dropped his arm from Emiko, leaning down to grab the rope that tied up the boat to the dock. Emiko jumped into the small boat and settled herself down. The other two climbed in and shoved off when a shout calling Luffy's name came from shore. The three turned to see Rika, her mother and Coby back on the island.

"Thank you! I'll never forget all you've done for me!" Coby shouted, his hand over his brow in salute.

Zoro looked at Coby with a smirk. "I've never heard of a pirate being thanked by a marine..."

"Hehehe! Let's meet again sometime, Coby!" Luffy shouted as the wind caught the sail, bringing the boat out to sea.

Emiko watched as the island grew smaller and smaller, the shouts from the residents growing weaker. She glanced behind herself at the endless ocean and a slow smile grew. _And here. We. Go._


	4. Chapter 4

A boat bobbed in the ocean with its the three occupants lounging in varying degrees of laziness. Luffy hung his head over the side, idly whirling his finger in the water in a vain attempt to lure a fish so he could eat it. Zoro dozed against the edge and Emiko laid on the floor as best she could, her arms cushioning her head as she stared up at the sky through lidded eyes. They'd been at sea for a few days now and naturally the food supply had vanished within the first 24 hours. A small scowl appeared on her face at the thought of food. _I cannot wait until further down the line when we have a larger food supply. This whole going hungry thing is not something I'd like to experience for very long._

With a small sigh, she pulled herself into a sitting position, oblivious to Zoro opening an eye to watch her. She pulled her long hair from her neck and let the breeze hit her dampened skin in mild relief. At the same time, Zoro became mesmerized by a bead of sweat the fell from her temple and slowly dripped down her neck before disappearing into her shirt. He slammed his open eye shut and tried to prevent himself from having a physical reaction to her.

The past several days had been torturous not only due to the lack of food but due to their sole female nakama. She was undeniably beautiful and seemed to ooze sensuality without even trying. Or at least, he thought she wasn't trying. She seemed unaware of the effect she had on him and to a lesser degree, Luffy, but Zoro had his suspicions. That's what he kept telling himself, anyway.

Luffy chose that moment to whine, distracting Zoro from his already distracting thoughts. "I'm starving..."

Emiko and Zoro both turned their attention to their mess of a captain. Zoro frowned while Emiko's face remained carefully blank. "When the hell are we going to reach land?" Zoro asked.

Luffy shrugged, still staring morosely at the waves below. "Who knows. We're just going with the wind and waves, after all... I wonder if we'll reach land... Nah... We will reach land sometime."

Zoro growled at him. "Isn't it kind of weird that someone trying to be the Pirate King doesn't even have any navigational skills!?"

"Luffy's talents reside in other places," Emiko said, her eyes twinkling with suppressed amusement.

Zoro gave her a dirty look. "What talents!? And how would you know!?"

"Eating. Stretching. Eating..." Emiko said, marking off a finger with each statement. A tick mark appeared on Zoro's forehead and Luffy glanced back at the girl with a small grin. He looked back at the sea with a small sigh.

 _"_ It's not weird that I can't navigate. I just drifted around for awhile," Luffy said blandly. He paused and glanced at Zoro with an eyebrow raised. _"_ But aren't _you_ a bounty hunter who wandered the high seas?"

"I have no memory of ever even calling myself a bounty hunter," Zoro said gruffly, leaning back on the edge of the boat to look up at the sky blankly. "I set out in search of a certain man but then couldn't get back to my village. I had no choice so I just went after pirate ships to earn a living."

"So you got lost," Luffy and Emiko both said at the same time, with the same inflection.

"DON'T SYNCHRONIZE!" Zoro yelled at them, teeth razor sharp and slammed his fists on the boat, causing it rock violently.

Emiko gasped and barely caught herself from slamming into the side but Luffy's hat flew from his head. Zoro and Luffy both watched as the hat flew up into the sail, their faces mirror images of each other. They both rushed to the front of the ship and Zoro reached out, grabbing it swiftly before it could be swept away further. Luffy sighed in relief and accepted it back from him, plopping it onto his head.

"What's with the hat, anyway?" Zoro asked. Luffy stared at him for a moment, his eyes far away in memory. Zoro and Emiko watched him silently, the girl knowing he was thinking of how Shanks gave him the hat before he left. Luffy's eyes focused again and he grinned at Zoro.

"It's a promise!"

Zoro raised an eyebrow at the statement but didn't press the matter further. Instead he let out a big sigh and looked up at the sky again. "Man, I'm hungry..."

Emiko and Luffy also glanced upwards and Emiko nearly let out an incredulous giggle at the sight of a giant bird in the sky. _Well, at least I know this place is being consistent in its own bizarre way,_ she thought dryly. Luffy looked at the bird for a few moments before his eyes turned back to Zoro.

"Let's eat it!"

"What? How?" Zoro asked him in confusion. Luffy grinned and stood up. Emiko let out a resigned sigh and half glared at Zoro for inadvertently encouraging their overly enthusiastic captain.

"Leave it to me! Gomu Gomu no... Rocket!" He shouted, launching himself in the air towards the bird. Zoro gaped in shock as Luffy raced towards the bird and Emiko couldn't help but let out a snort of amusement at the situation. Luffy reached the bird and immediately started whining.

"Ehhh! ZORO! EMIKO! HEEELLP!"

"MORON! What the hell are you doing!?" Zoro shouted angrily as he grabbed the oars and started rowing the boat in the direction the bird was going. Emiko couldn't contain her laughter at that point and clutched her side as she tried to breathe. "This isn't the time to laugh!" Zoro yelled at her as he rowed furiously. Emiko wiped away a tear that had leaked from her eye and looked at him.

"Oh come on. It's a little funny. Only Luffy would manage to get caught up in something so ridiculous."

Zoro merely grunted and continued to row. She glanced past him and spotted the three pirates that Nami had stranded earlier and pressed her mouth into a straight line to prevent another giggle from escaping.

"Hey! Stop! You there! Stop!" One of the pirates shouted at them. Zoro glanced back and spotted the three men.

"Shipwrecked people, at a time like this!? I can't stop! Jump in on your own!" Zoro yelled out. The pirates shrieked and grabbed onto the boat as it flew past, hauling themselves in and tumbling into a giant heap. Zoro looked at them with a smirk and Emiko looked at them with bored expression. "I'm surprised you made it."

"Are you trying to run us over?!" The three pirates cried out. Zoro just rolled his eyes at them but felt himself tense as they pulled out swords. One of them grabbed Emiko roughly and held a slim dagger to her throat while the other two sneered at Zoro.

"Oi, give it up. We're members of Buggy the Clown-sama's crew! This boat is ours now!"

Zoro looked at the three of them darkly, his aura radiating killing intent. Emiko kept her eyes on Zoro to see if he would signal her in some way, keeping her body loose as she slowly inched her hand towards her own dagger. The three pirates didn't even have time to react as Zoro lunged forward and disarmed them, punching them each for good measure. Another few seconds later, the three pirates were fearfully rowing the ship while Zoro and Emiko watched.

"W-We had no idea you were the famous Pirate Hunter Zoro-san!" The pirate in the middle said nervously, his face swelling. "Forgive our rudeness and for threatening your nakama!"

Zoro huffed in irritation and glanced at Emiko, who looked more amused by the situation than anything. "You good?" He asked gruffly.

Her gaze shifted to him and she nodded silently. He hummed in response and turned his eyes back to the pirates, glaring at them again. "Thanks to you guys, I lost sight of my friend. Just keep paddling straight ahead!"

"YESSIR!"

Zoro sighed and adjusted his position to make himself comfortable. "Knowing Luffy, he'll manager something once he spots land."

Emiko nodded again, "Yes, he seems to figure something out despite the circumstances. We'll find him once we get to land I'm sure." She stretched her arms over her head and arched her back in an attempt to relieve the tension she'd developed from the lack of proper movement. Zoro's eyes trailed down her form, licking his lips subconsciously. He tore his gaze from her to prevent himself from doing something incredibly stupid and looked at the three pirates. His face instantly darkened at seeing the three of them also staring at Emiko with unconcealed lust. He shifted his grip on his katanas and the three of them paled.

"What are you looking at?" Zoro snarled. Emiko paused in her stretching and opened her eyes curiously.

"Hmm? What's going on?" She asked softly.

The three pirates immediately started stammering platitudes and didn't glance at the girl again. Zoro continued to glare at them as Emiko looked between them all with an arched brow.

"Am I missing something?" she asked blandly.

"No," Zoro snapped out.

Emiko stared at him for a moment, not believing a word he was saying but decided to let the matter drop. With a shrug, she relaxed again and closed her eyes. "Wake me up if you get tired. We can watch them in shifts until we reach land," she said softly.

Zoro looked over at her as she settled into a light snooze. No way he was going to sleep while these three were here. He didn't trust them and although he knew Emiko could take care of herself, he knew Luffy would be furious if he let something happen to her. Looking back at the three pirates, he continued his stare of death to frighten them into rowing faster.

* * *

Luffy kicked his legs rapidly, trying to dislodge himself from the beak of the bird that was carrying him away from his nakama. "Lemme go you stupid asshole!" He fumed and crossed his arms. He was so hungry! And now he was being taken who knows where. With a sigh, he looked around as best he could to try to spot any land. He squinted a bit and grinned as he saw an island in the distance. He started kicking and struggling in earnest as he got closer to the island. Once he was over a small village he heard the sound of a canon firing and then he was falling. He hit the ground with a thud, dust flying everywhere. He coughed a few times as the dust started to clear and thought he heard talking around him. "Damnit! What are cannonballs flying at me for?!" He stood up and brushed himself off with a grin. "But now I'm safe! That was a pretty neat experience I had!"

Nami and a few of Buggy's pirates stared at Luffy in shock. Luffy being Luffy immediately asked if they knew where he could get some food and the question snapped Nami out of her stupor. "Oh! There you are boss! I'll leave these guys to you! Bye!"

"Huh?" Luffy looked at Nami as she ran away. "Who was that?"

"She got away! But her boss is still here," one of pirates yelled.

Luffy glanced back at the three pirates and blinked a few times. "Know where I can get some food?" He asked with his head tilted.

"Quit screwing around, kid!" One of the pirates yelled, hitting Luffy in the jaw. Luffy's hat went flying and Luffy retaliated by hitting the pirate in the face, knocking him unconscious. He caught his hat and put it on his head, his eyes covered as he scowled at the pirates.

"Don't touch my treasure!"

"Bastard!" The other pirates rushed at him but he knocked them out with a pistol to both their faces. Nami watched from above in surprise and awe.

"You're really strong!" She shouted to him. Luffy looked up at her blankly as she hopped down to a balcony. "You beat people with swords barehanded!"

"Huuuh? Oh hey! You're that... Who are you?" Luffy asked in confusion.

"I'm a thief that steals from pirates! The name's Nami! Hey, wanna team up with me?!"

"No. I don't feel like teaming up with you," Luffy replied before turning away. Nami looked momentarily stunned by the flat refusal.

"Hey! Wait a minute!" She yelled out as she chased after him. Luffy froze in the middle of the street and clutched his stomach.

"Oh yeah! I forgot! I'm starving..." He moaned piteously, collapsing on the street in dramatic fashion.

Nami's calculating gaze stuck to the starving boy before she grinned. "Shall I treat you to some food?"

Luffy sprung up instantly. "Really?!"

"Y-Yes?"

* * *

Zoro tied up the boat and glared at the three pirates, who promptly fell over and feigned death. He let out an annoyed huff and looked over at Emiko, who was quietly eyeing the town.

"I think I'll go try to get some supplies while you look for Luffy, if that's all right," Emiko stated, looking at Zoro expectantly.

He nodded in agreement before looking at the town with a slight frown. "How in the hell am I going to find that idiot?"

Emiko laughed as she walked away. "Just follow the shouting! I can guarantee that's where he'll be!"

Zoro let out a snort and started walking into the town as well. "Never has there been a truer statement..." He muttered.

Emiko made a mental list of the things she needed to gather as she made her way down an abandoned street. _Looks like Buggy's invasion is in full swing. There's no one around_ , she thought to herself. Shrugging, she picked the lock on the first house and immediately started gathering what she needed. It took about twenty minutes but she'd gathered what she knew would be enough food for maybe... Twenty minutes. Her shoulders slumped in resignation. There was no way any amount of food would satisfy the bottomless pits that were Luffy and Zoro. At least a day or two of meals was better than nothing though; if she could convince Luffy not to eat it all in one sitting.

First goal achieved, she set about trying to find enough medical supplies to last them until they got the Merry. She knew she'd probably need to stitch up Zoro soon and honestly, medical supplies were probably going to be used just as quickly as the food was eaten.

"I'm already starting to feel like their mother..." she muttered to herself. Her eyes lit up upon finding an unused medical kit in one of the houses. She quickly stashed that in the large bag she was carrying and made her way back to the docks. She approached the boat silently and set the bag down into the boat heavily, rocking it and the pirates who had been talking quietly. They looked up at her in fear for a moment, probably assuming she was Zoro, until they registered who it was. Their fear quickly dissolved into desire and they stood up, approaching her slowly. She sighed in annoyance. "What the hell do you want now?"

"Now now, sweetheart. What would a pretty thing like you being doing with a pirate hunter?"

"You mean, Zoro? You know, the guy you're scared shitless of?" She asked dryly. Her hand caressed the handle of her dagger as they started to surround her.

"Ain't nobody here but us and you, sweet thing. Now why don't you come over here and give me a kiss?" One of the reached out to grab her and she latched onto his hand, twisting his wrist harshly. The resulting crack had him shrieking in pain and the other two diving at her. One of them grabbed her from behind while the other started groping at her front. She snapped out with her feet and kicked him between the legs as her head back hit the other in the nose, causing him to drop her to clutch his nose with a pained whimper.

She pulled out her dagger and spun it in her hand before grabbing the pirate that had groped her and held it to his throat. "Let me be clear," she whispered into his ear. "You will only live because I allow it. From this moment forth, you will treat every woman with the utmost respect or so help me... I will find you and make you beg for death. Am I clear?" His answer was to let out a keening whine and nod his head furiously. She let him go and glanced over at the man whose wrist she'd broken and to the other whose nose she'd broken. Both were looking at her with fear in their eyes.

"When we come back, this boat better be in the exact same place with none of our supplies touched or I will sick my captain on you. If you think Zoro is scary, then you should know that my captain is ten times stronger than he is and he takes threats to his nakama very, seriously."

The pirates became white as ghosts and trembled under her dark gaze. She stared at them for a moment longer before smiling cheerfully. "So! I'll be back. Make sure no one takes our stuff!"

She strolled away, immensely pleased with herself and happier now that she'd hit something. _Now to find those two idiots. Oh, and Nami. Can't forget her._


	5. Chapter 5

Luffy stared at the canon aimed at him with no expression on his face. He looked over at Nami who seemed to be more and more panicked with every chant of 'Fire!' from the pirates. "What's the matter? Your hands are shaking! That's what happens when you take on pirates with half-assed resolve," Luffy said casually. Nami looked at him in shock.

"Resolve to do what?! To kill people like it's nothing!? Is that a pirate's resolve?!"

"NO! The resolve to put your own life on the line!"

Nami stared at the ground for a moment but started suddenly when another pirate grabbed the matches from her hand and moved to light the fuse, impatient to blast Luffy into oblivion. She quickly formed her staff and hit the pirate hard, rendering him into a groaning heap. Her own actions seem to startle her more than the fact that the pirate was on the ground. "Nami! What is the meaning of this!?" Buggy roared.

"I'm sorry!" Nami bowed.

"What?! Apologizing won't fix things!" Buggy cried, teeth sharp as he glared at her.

"Huh? Now you're saving me?" Luffy asked, his confusion evident.

"Don't be stupid! I only did it because of the situation! I just didn't want to wind up like these inhuman pirates" Nami said, holding the staff in front of her defensively.

"Oooh, the situation!" Luffy said with a sage-like nod.

Nami glared at the pirates around her. "Pirates took the life of a person dear to me! As if I'd ever be one!"

Luffy nodded again, "Oh, so that's why... Huh?" He looked at the canon and his jaw dropped as he yelled. "Ahhh! It's lit!"

"Keep your ridicule to a minimum, girl!" Buggy murmured darkly. "Kill her flashily!"

Several pirates moved to attack Nami. Her attempts to defend herself resulted in being disarmed so she rushed towards the canon and grabbed the fuse with her hands, screaming as the flame burned her palms. Luffy looked at her in surprise. "Behind you!"

Nami didn't have time to move as the pirates launched themselves at her, grins of vicious victory on their faces. Nami ducked her head and flinched, thus missing Zoro's timely entrance. "Hey, now... How many of you are taking on one girl at once?"

Luffy grinned happily. "Zoro!"

Zoro glanced back at Nami. "You hurt?"

"N-No, I'm fine..."

"Whew! What a relief!" Luffy said happily. He looked around rapidly and his cheerful smile because a concerned frown. "Oi, Zoro. Where's Emiko?"

"She's fine. Went off to do a few errands," Zoro said.

"Ah, okay. How'd you find us? Hurry and get me outta here!

Zoro turned around and scowled at him. "What do you keep playing around for?! First some bird runs off with you, and now you're inside a cage?"

"Ah, that. Well, it's pretty interesting, really."

Zoro sighed and started walking towards the cage, pausing at Buggy's voice. "What is Pirate Hunter Zoro doing here? Come for my head?"

"Nope. Not interested. Gave up pirate hunting."

" _I'm_ interested, though! Killing you will increase my name!" Buggy said with a feral grin. Zoro slowly turned his head to glare at Buggy over his shoulder.

"I wouldn't if I were you. You'll end up dead."

"Is that so?" Buggy asked with a grin, flipping a few knives in his hands. Zoro sighed in resignation.

"Guess words just aren't going to be enough..." He turned around and adjusted his grip on his katanas. Buggy ran at Zoro, laughing hysterically. A second later and Zoro was on the other side of Buggy, who was falling into pieces. Zoro glanced back at Buggy with a frown. "He had no resistance to him at all..."

"Whoa! He's weak!" Luffy cried out in shock. Nami looked at the Buggy pirates in confusion as they all started to laugh. Zoro eyed them cautiously, his instincts screaming at him that something was very wrong.

"What is so funny?" Zoro started to ask but froze in shock as a knife pierced his side. He looked down at it in surprise as blood poured from the wound. He fell to his knees in pain and grit his teeth.

"Zoro!" Luffy yelled out.

"What the hell?!" Zoro groaned as the knife was yanked from his side. He looked back and his eyes widened at the sight of Buggy's arm floating in midair.

"Bara Bara no Mi. That's the name of the Devil Fruit I ate!" Buggy said with a grin. "I'm a person who can't be cut!" He started to laugh maniacally as Zoro clutched his side in an attempt to slow the bleeding.

"His body reattached itself! I thought the Devil Fruits were only a rumor!" Nami said, her voice trembling.

"A Bara-Bara guy? You mean he's a monster?!" Luffy asked in childish surprise (as the entire world sweatdrops).

"I didn't hit any vital spots but that's a pretty serious injury! I win!" Buggy called out. Buggy's pirates started chanting his name and Buggy continued his obnoxious laugh.

Zoro clenched his jaw as pain radiated from his side. "That one hurt a bit..."

Luffy struggled against his bonds and glared at Buggy in rage. "Stabbing him from behind is unfair, Big Nose!" Luffy roared.

Everyone froze, jaws dropped in shock.

Buggy turned around and faced Luffy. "Who's... Got a big nose?!" He threw his hand with the knife at Luffy in a fit of pure rage.

"Luffy!"

"Buggy!" Luffy called out, his voice muffled. Everyone looked at Luffy in varying degrees of incredulity. Meanwhile, Luffy had caught the blade with his teeth and was smiling. "I _will_ kick your ass!" He clenched his jaw and broke the knife with his teeth.

Buggy and his pirates all laughed. "Kick _my_ ass? You're a real riot! All three of you are gonna die here, you know! Oh, and what was that other person you mentioned? Emiko? I'll make sure dies too! Bwhahahahaha!"

Luffy's grin fell and his face darkened with rage. "You touch her... And I'll do more than kick your ass." He slumped over slightly, his hat covering his eyes. Suddenly, he burst out into laughter. "Like I'll die here anyway! Run! Zoro!"

"What?!" Zoro cried out. Luffy smiled as he stared at Zoro. After several seconds, Zoro grinned through the pain. "Understood."

"Impudent fool! As if I'd let you escape!" Buggy said as he attacked Zoro. Zoro blocked Buggy's attacks deftly despite the wound on his side. With a flick of his wrists, he cut Buggy again causing the clown to merely gloat about his indestructible nature. Zoro ran back towards the canon, ignoring Buggy entirely as he attempted to heave it into a different position. He winced as his wound pulsed in pain and Nami yelled at him to stop. With a sudden burst of will, he pushed the canon up and turned it to face the opposite direction, right at Buggy and his laughing idiots.

"Light it," he gasped out to Nami.

"What?!" Nami gaped at him.

"Now!" he shouted at her. She fumbled with the matches and lit the fuse, looking back at Zoro who had stumbled over to the cage that Luffy was in. He grasped it and heaved it upwards, blood gushing from his wound. Nami stared at him, jaw dropped as he hauled the cage away from the pirates, the buggy bomb having been fired at them so they were properly distracted.

 _Nothing makes sense. What is happening?!_ Nami thought as she followed them in a daze.

* * *

Emiko walked aimlessly down the street in the general direction she'd heard the explosion several minutes ago. She tapped her chin thoughtfully as she went over the fight with Buggy in her head. Zoro was most likely injured so he was going to be passed out for a bit. Then the pet store would burn down, Luffy would kick that stupid lion tamer's ass and then the fight with that the turd on a unicycle. Oh, and of course the Mayor's house getting destroyed with Zoro inside. She snickered at the thought of the swordman's appearance in the rubble. She still hadn't quite decided if she would use what she knew to stop certain events from happening.

She glanced up when she heard Nami and Luffy chatting away about random things, Luffy still stuck in the cage. She didn't see the mayor anywhere so she assumed he was still patching up Zoro. She silently approached the duo and pulled out her small lock picking set that she always kept on hand. Luffy must have sensed her somehow because his head whipped up and he grinned upon seeing her.

"Emiko! You're all right!"

She raised an eyebrow at him as she knelt down in front of the cage and started picking the lock. "You expected something different? I'm almost offended," she said teasingly.

Luffy puffed out his cheeks and pouted. "That's not what I meant! I was worried one of the bombs might have hit you."

She smiled at him and the lock popped open with a click. Luffy cheered excitedly and flew out of the cage, hugging Emiko tightly. She let out a slight gasp at the tightness and let out a small squeak when he released her. He grabbed her hand and dragged her over to Nami, who had been watching the two curiously. "This is Nami! She's our navigator!"

"I'm not joining your crew, for the last time!" Nami shouted, fists clenched. She relaxed when she looked at Emiko. "I'm just joining you for now. It's business."

Emiko's lips twitched. "Yes, of course. Business." She glanced at Luffy. "Where's Zoro?"

"Oh! He was hurt so he's inside getting patched up."

A door shut nearby and the three glanced up to see the mayor coming over to them. "Actually, your friend said he'd be fine if he just slept for a while. Ah, I see you got out of that cage."

Luffy grinned with a nod as Emiko gently removed her hand from his grasp so she could bend down to scratch Chouchou behind the ears. She tuned out the explanation of the reason why Chouchou was guarding the shop and stood up as the mayor fed Chouchou. After the mayor finished his story, they all heard a roar followed by a rumble.

"What is that?!" Nami cried out.

"It's him! Beast Tamer Mohji!" the mayor said, his eyes wide. The mayor flailed his arms in alarm and was chased after by Nami, who was demanding to know who Mohji was. Luffy tapped his foot on the ground and glanced over at Emiko who was watching the giant lion approach. The giant lion stopped in front of Luffy with a growl.

"Oooohhh. It looks like almost all your friends abandoned you. Except for this lovely lady," Mohji said, a smirk on his face.

"Who are you?" Luffy asked.

"I'm Beast Tamer Mohji. I'm a member of the Buggy Pirates."

Luffy looked at him for a moment. "That sure is a weird animal suit you have on."

"How rude! This is my hair!" Mohji yelled. Luffy blinked a few times while Emiko suppressed her laughter.

"That's even weirder..." Luffy muttered.

"Shut up you stupid strawhat! You clearly have no idea what I can do! There is no animal in this world that I can't tame!" He declared as he walked up to Chouchou. He stuck out his hand, "Shake!" There was a brief moment of silence before Chouchou latched onto Mohji's arm, biting him viciously. Mohji cried out and shook his arm trying to dislodge the small dog. After he shook the dog loose, he climbed back on his lion and glared at the two of them. "You're nothing but a nameless sneak thief! I have no interest in you! Tell me where Roronoa Zoro is!"

Luffy gave him a mutinous look. "No!"

"Sic him, Richie!" Mohji screamed. The lion whipped out a paw and smacked Luffy, launching him through several buildings. Emiko had dodged the lion and landed near Chouchou. She looked at the house with a Luffy shaped hole in it with a flat look.

"You're going to regret doing that."

Mohji glared at her. "That was an instant death. Good job, Richie. Now, girl, tell me where Zoro is. I wouldn't want Richie to scar your pretty face so be cooperative."

She raised an eyebrow. "Pass."

"That's too bad. Richie! Get rid of her!"

Emiko tensed and ducked under Richie's paw, rolling on the ground to escape the strike. Richie was apparently a smarter lion than she anticipated because he attacked with a back leg and scratched her left shoulder. She hit the ground hard and the air was forced from her lungs. Gritting her teeth, she got up and glared at Mohji who was laughing on top of Richie. Richie growled at the girl and crouched down to lunge at her again but Chouchou took the opportunity to latch onto Richie's paw. Unsure if she should assist the small dog, she hesitated for a moment. Chouchou flew from Richie and landed on the ground in a heap, leaping up again almost instantly. He turned to bark at her a few times before growling at Richie again. She let out an incredulous laugh. "How can I decline such a valiant rescue." With a small nod, she jogged away from pet store and headed in the direction that Luffy had flown.

* * *

"Ahh! That was quite invigorating!" Luffy said as he sat up from the ground. "Ah! Emiko is still back there!" He yelled, eyes wide. "Well, guess it's time to beat everyone up and have Nami as our navigator!"

"How are you alive?!" Came Nami's angry yell.

Luffy glanced at Nami and the mayor who were both staring at him in shock. "Is it wrong to be alive?"

"Being just fine after flying through houses isn't normal!"

"It's not?" Luffy asked.

"No, Luffy, generally people die from such things," Emiko said with a chuckle as she applied pressure to the wound on her shoulder. Luffy glanced at her and his eyes widened.

"You're hurt!" He rushed over to her and started looking at her wound. She sighed and waved a hand dismissively.

"I'll make it; It's not very deep. You should head back towards the pet shop though. I'm worried about Chouchou."

Luffy nodded absentmindedly, his eyes still on her bleeding shoulder. She stared at him for a moment before nudging him, making him snap back into focus.

"What... Is your purpose in this town? Why are you involved with those pirates?" the mayor asked suddenly. Luffy looked at him with a grin.

"I just decided our purpose! To get a Grand Line map and a navigator!" The straw hatted teen dashed away. "That guy in the animal suit was looking for Zoro and he hurt Emiko! I'll be back after I kick his ass!"

Emiko couldn't help the giggles that escaped her as Luffy ran away but she stopped when her shoulder pulled from the movement. The mayor looked at her with a frown. "Come along, dear. I'll bandage your shoulder." She threw him a grateful smile and followed him silently. She continued to sit quietly as he applied some ointment to her shoulder and attached the bandages, Nami watching with her arms crossed. Once she was properly treated, she thanked him softly and started heading back in direction Luffy had run off. "You're not going back to that pirate, are you?!" the mayor asked incredulously.

Emiko glanced back at him with a smile. "I mostly want to watch that goofball in action. And check on Chouchou."

Nami and the mayor watched the girl run back towards the pet store. _I seriously do not understand these people,_ Nami thought weakly.

* * *

Emiko reached the pet store rather quickly and was dismayed to find it up in flames. She approached Luffy and stood next to him as he watched Chouchou howl at the flames.

"They took away his treasure..." Luffy said softly.

Emiko glanced at him, unable to reach his expression as his hat was covering his eyes. She looked back at the flames and clenched her fist. "I'll start trying to put out the fire, see what I can salvage," she said. Luffy let out a breath, turning to look at her.

"I'll be right back."

That said, he turned and walked away. Emiko sighed and started looking around to try to find something to put out the fire.

Luffy walked down the alley, rage burning in his chest. Not only had this asshole burned down Chouchou's treasure, but he also hurt his nakama. The first made him angry but the second was unforgivable. He stepped into the main street in front of Mohji and Richie. Mohji glared at Luffy in surprise. "Hey! I killed you!"

Luffy crossed his arms and feigned cheer. "I won't die that easily!"

Mohji jumped off Richie's head. "Crunch his head for sure this time, Richie!"

Richie roared and dropped the box of pet food. Luffy watched with fall to the ground with a blank look on his face as Richie leapt at him. With narrowed eyes, he wound his arms together. "I won't lose to some lion!" He grabbed Richie tightly. "Gomu-Gomu...HAMMER!" He slammed the lion hard into the ground, Mohji crying out with tears running down his cheeks. Luffy knelt next to the unconscious lion.

"W-What are you!?" Richie cried.

"I ate the Gumo Gumo no Mi," Luffy replied, his hair covering his eyes.

Richie shuddered. "You mean you have devil fruit powers, just like Captain Buggy?!" Luffy remained silent as his hat gently hit the ground. Mohji backed up hastily, his hands up as if to surrender. "Okay! I peacefully apologize to you!"

Luffy stood up with his back to Mohji. "Apologize? Is an apology going to bring back that dog's treasure? Or remove the injury from my nakama?" He turned around and stared at Mohji with enraged eyes. "That's why I'm gonna kick your ass!" His arm stretched out, grabbing Mohji by the throat and hauling him closer. He pulled back his other arm and slammed it into Mohji, driving him straight into the concrete. Mohji didn't even make a sound when he hit the ground as he had already been rendered unconscious from the force of Luffy's punch. Luffy stared at him for a moment before grabbing his hat and walking away.


	6. Chapter 6

Emiko sat next to Chouchou, covered in soot from putting out the fire and digging around for anything that could be worth saving. She'd found a picture of Chouchou and his former owner and a sign from the pet store that could probably be restored. Unfortunately, everything else had been destroyed. She glanced at the dog and rubbed his head sadly. "Sorry, friend. Doesn't look like anything else made it."

Meanwhile, Nami was staring at the burned shop with her fists clenched. "Pirates are all the same! They take what others hold dear without a second thought!" She looked up as Luffy came back. "Oh, you're alive, pirate! I figured the lion would have eaten you for sure! As a pirate, you'll do the same thing!" She screamed at him as Luffy stared at her blankly. "Maybe I should kill you right here before you can gather more nakama and attack people too!" She ran towards him but the mayor rushed in front of her.

"Stop that, girl!"

Luffy turned and started to walk over to Chouchou and Emiko. "As if you could ever kill me," he said, scoffing lightly.

"Maybe I'll try and see, then!" Nami screamed again. Luffy ignored Nami and the mayor as he approached Chouchou. The dog sat very still and quiet next to Emiko. Luffy set down a half-eaten box of dog food in front of the dog before sitting on the other side of the small dog. The mayor and Nami stopped fighting momentarily to watch as the two pirates sat next to the dog with an apologetic air to them.

"This is all I could take back. Bastard ate all the rest," Luffy said with a small pout. Luffy looked down at the dog with a grin. "You fought well! I didn't see it but I can tell. And you protected my nakama! So, thank you." Luffy glanced up at Emiko who was smiling at him, her arms wrapped around her knees as she rested her head on them.

Chouchou grabbed the box of dog food and started to walk away, pausing after a bit to turn and bark at Luffy. Luffy turned his head to look at the dog. "Yeah! Good luck to you, too!" Chouchou barked a few more times before continuing away. Luffy stood up, brushing dirt off his pants and held out a hand to Emiko to help her up. Hauling her to her feet, the two watched the small dog wander off.

Meanwhile, Nami and the mayor had been watching this unfold silently. As Chouchou walked away, Nami laughed in wonderment. She walked up to the two of them and cleared her throat a bit nervously.

"Sorry about earlier!" She said, rubbing her neck. Luffy made a humming noise while Emiko glanced back at her. Nami swallowed at the look in the auburn-haired girl's eyes. "I didn't mean to yell at you."

Luffy finally turned his gaze to her, a grin on his face. "It's okay! You've been through a lot!" He tapped his chin for a moment. "I don't really feel like hearing about it though." Emiko threw her captain an amused look under her eyelashes. The mayor took that moment to bemoan the fact that Chouchou and Luffy were so willing to fight while he sat by and allow the town to be destroyed. Nami and Luffy ran up to him in alarm.

"Mayor! Don't do anything rash!" Nami said, worry on her face.

"This place used to be barren. We worked hard to make it what it is. This island is our treasure and I won't just sit by and let it be taken away!"

A roar of a canon followed by a loud explosion interrupted his monologue. Another buggy bomb had destroyed his own house, much to his anger. Emiko looked at the house and bit her lip anxiously. "Um, Luffy? Zoro was in there," she said, a frown on her face.

"Ah! You're right!" He yelled out in horror.

"That young one is dead now..." The mayor said sadly. Emiko snorted in disbelief as Luffy started shouting for Zoro. An annoyed voice came from the smoldering wreckage.

"That's one of hell of a way to wake a guy up..."

Luffy started laughing while Emiko rolled her eyes. "Yeah, as if something like that would kill that stubborn idiot," she quipped.

Zoro rubbed his head and stumbled towards them. "Who are you calling an idiot, woman!?" He let out a huge yawn. "Ugh, not enough sleep."

"How in the hell are you still alive?!" Nami asked.

"Hahaha! I'm glad you're still alive, Zoro!" Luffy said happily.

The mayor flew into a rage and started trying to rush at the pirates. Nami held onto him to try to stop him while Luffy laughed. Nami stared at them all in shock as the mayor ran off, calling Buggy's name in pain and rage.

"This is no time to be laughing! He'll get himself killed!" Nami screeched, stomping her foot.

"It's fine! I like the old man. I won't let him get killed," Luffy said with a grin.

Zoro smirked. "Looks like things are getting interesting."

"It was inevitable, really," Emiko said with a smile. Luffy just laughed some more and started heading off after the mayor.

"In that case..." Zoro said as he followed, Emiko hot on his heels.

"You're both going?! But your wounds!" Nami asked.

Zoro tied his bandana around his head with a grin. "The injury to my name is much worse than the injury to my gut!"

Emiko just shrugged. "I can't let them have all the fun. And someone has to make sure they stay mostly alive."

"Our destination is the Grand Line. So we're gonna steal back the map!" Luffy declared. He looked back at Nami and stuck out his hand. "Be our nakama, Nami!"

Nami glared at him. "I'll never be a pirate." She smacked his hand away. "How about we team up for our common goal instead?" She asked with a devious smile. Luffy gave a toothy grin in response.

"Yosh! Let's go catch up to the mayor!" Luffy shouted. The four of them ran off towards Buggy's ship.

* * *

"BUGGY! I am Mayor Boodle!" The mayor yelled angrily. "This town is our treasure and I've come to protect it! Come and fight me!"

Buggy glanced down from his chair at the old man. "Ooh really?" He drawled. "Treasure is all things that glitter and sparkle, not some dinky old town."

"You'll never understand how I feel!" The old man shouted.

Buggy glared at him. "I plan on going to the Grand Line and obtaining all of the world's riches!" His hand grabbed the mayor by the throat and raised him above the ground, strangling him slowly. "The world's riches are mine! If this town's that important to you, shall I destroy it?"

"I won't let you destroy this town, even if it means my life!" The mayor rasped out.

Buggy let out a laugh. "Fire the cannon!" He froze and started gasping in pain. "Gah! That straw hat guy!"

Luffy had grabbed Buggy's hand away from the mayor and was squeezing it tightly. Zoro, Nami, and Emiko all smirked at the sight. Luffy looked up at Buggy with a confident grin.

"I'm here to kick your ass, just like I promised!"

Buggy grit his teeth and grasped at his arm, trying to get his hand back from Luffy's bone crushing grasp. Luffy grinned a moment longer and released the hand, letting it fly back to the clown. Buggy glared down at them.

"Straw hat! How dare you just come waltzing back here!" He roared.

Nami looked at Zoro and Emiko with a stern look on her face. "Listen! All I want is the map and the treasure."

Zoro scowled in annoyance. "Yeah, I know." Emiko just raised an eyebrow at the redhead.

The major pushed himself up to stand shakily. "What are you young ones doing here? Stay out of this. You're outsiders!" All four of them stared at him as he continued. "This is my fight! I will protect my town!" He grabbed a wooden staff and raised it threateningly. "I don't need your meddling!"

Emiko pinched the bridge of her nose as Luffy smacked the mayor hard into a wall, rendering him unconscious instantly. Nami gaped at him for a moment before her face twisted in anger. "What the hell!? Why did you attack the mayor!?" She yelled at Luffy. Luffy looked at her with a smile.

"He was in the way!"

Nami stared at him incredulously. Emiko nodded in agreement. "He would have just gotten himself killed. His desire to protect his treasure is admirable but foolish in this case," she said calmly.

Zoro shoved his hands into his pockets. "Good thinking. No doubt the old man was planning on dying for his cause. Emiko is right. This is for the best."

Nami glared at them all. "Don't be crazy!" She yelled, teeth sharp. "There were plenty of other ways you could have done it!" Luffy stared at her in confusion before shrugging and walking closer to Buggy. Nami let out a frustrated noise and put her hand on her hip. Luffy took a deep breath in preparation for what he was about to yell at the stupid clown.

"BIG NOSE!"

Everyone's jaw dropped to the ground. Nami gripped her head, tearing at her hair in aggravation. "That's the one thing you shouldn't say!" Zoro and Emiko remained silent.

"Damn you, you flashy idiot! How dare you..." Buggy muttered darkly. "Flashily fire the Buggy Ball!" He screamed in rage. The canon was immediately aimed at Luffy who only smirked. Zoro and Nami tensed.

"Why'd you say that?! You idiot!" Nami screeched. She ran away from Luffy so she wasn't involved in the blast. Zoro also moved to run away.

"Oi, Luffy! Emiko! Run!"

Emiko glanced at Zoro with a small smile and shook her head. "I'm good."

"That...Won't work on me!" Luffy said cheerfully. The canon fired and Luffy took a deep breath. "Gomu Gomu... Balloon!" The canon ball bounced off his inflated stomach back towards the Buggy pirates. Everyone's jaw except Emiko's was on the ground at the sight. Emiko just snickered at the entire situation. Zoro palmed his face his exasperation.

"Say something beforehand, geez!" he muttered in irritation. He glanced over Emiko. "Did you know he was going to do that?"

Emiko contemplated the question. If she told him yes, then she could be in trouble given that Luffy had never done that in front of her before. Saying yes could potentially reveal more information than she was currently willing to provide so instead she shrugged indifferently. "I trust Luffy. He would never intentionally endanger us. Unintentionally however..." she trailed off with a faint smile. Zoro snorted and watched as the cannonball struck the top of the pub, blasting the pirates.

"All right! Now there's fewer enemies!" Luffy said.

"What the heck are you?!" Nami growled, teeth sharp.

"You really know how to freak people out," Zoro sighed.

Emiko smiled. "Never a dull moment!"

Nami stomped up to Luffy and glared at him. "I knew something was weird from the time you fought that lion! No human can do that! Explain yourself! What was that balloon-inflatey thingy you just did!?"

"The Gomu Gomu balloon!" Luffy said, arms crossed with a smile.

"I'm asking what that is!" Nami yelled, towering over him with her teeth sharp once more. "What are you, a monster!?"

They were interrupted by some of the debris shifting and Buggy coming out, two of his own pirates in front of them as human shields. "How dare you flashily try to do me in..."

Emiko let out an annoyed noise. "Ass. Using his crew as shields. Captains should protect their nakama, not sacrifice them selfishly."

Mohji popped up from the debris and immediately jumped in alarm at the sight of Luffy, who waved casually. He warned Buggy to be careful as Luffy had eaten a devil fruit, making him a rubber person. Nami looked at Luffy with a frown. "Rubber person!?"

Luffy nodded. "Yeah! See!" He stretched out his cheeks causing Nami to slap her hand over her mouth in shock. More debris shifted as Richie the lion was hauled up by another man who tossed him aside as if he meant nothing. This new man, who Buggy called Cabaji, started arguing with Mohji for a moment before kicking the man towards Luffy. Mohji screamed at him to move but Luffy merely snickered and kicked him aside.

Emiko took quick note of her weapons in case she needed them. Her throwing knives were all accounted for and her primary dagger was still attached to her leg. Meanwhile, Luffy stared at Buggy and Cabaji who were chatting quietly. With narrowed eyes, he turned to glance back at Emiko. "Emiko, I want you to stay out of this."

Emiko's head shot up and she looked at Luffy in shock. Her mouth opened to protest but the look in Luffy's eyes made her mouth snap shut with a click. Her face scrunched up in frustration but she nodded in acceptance. Luffy winked at her before focusing back on the two pirates. Emiko crossed her arms in a huff and pouted at her captain, a slight blush on her cheeks from the almost flirtatious wink. _Why in the world am I even listening to him!? I never thought of myself as a follower before but I just keep obeying his orders. I must be losing my damn mind_ , she thought in aggravation. _And why am I blushing!?_ _What am I, twelve!?_

Cabaji and Buggy seemed to finish their conversation as Cabaji hurried towards Luffy on his unicycle, sword drawn. Zoro zipped in front of Luffy and blocked the sword with his own. " _I'll_ clash swords with you."

Cabaji smirked. "It's an honor, Roronoa Zoro. To think I would get to slay you, as a swordsman myself." Cabaji glanced at the wound on Zoro's side with a speculative look on his face. Luffy peaked his head over Zoro's shoulder and frowned.

"Oi, Zoro, you should be resting. Let me handle this."

"Stay out of this!" Zoro snapped, eyes narrowed. Cabaji grinned viciously as he started to attack Zoro. Using a distraction, his leg whipped out and hit Zoro hard in his injured side. Emiko let out a hiss of sympathy as Zoro's face twisted in agony. Zoro fell over, gasping desperately. Cabaji continued his assault, hitting Zoro in the side again after causing another distraction.

Nami started muttering half to herself as she watched Zoro kneel on the ground, heaving in pain. She looked at Luffy with fire in her eyes. "Why aren't you doing anything! He's gonna get killed" Luffy ignored the redhead and stared as his first mate with a blank face. Emiko also stared at Zoro as he stood up, unmoving as Cabaji flew at him. Cabaji's sword hit Zoro in his injured side. Nami slapped her hands over her mouth in shock as Luffy winced.

"Why didn't you dodge that?!" Nami asked incredulously.

"Is that enough of a handicap for you?" Zoro asked darkly. He turned around and stared at the other pirate. "Now I'll show you the difference in level between you and me!"

Luffy let out a cheerful yell of 'so cool!' while Emiko rolled her eyes and took mental stock of what she would have to do to patch up Zoro once they got back to their boat. Tuning out the remaining part of Zoro's battle, she made the list of steps and nodded absentmindedly. She would have enough to at least stitch him up and prevent an infection. She wasn't as effective as Chopper would be but it would get the job done. She glanced up as Nami clicked her tongue in disgust.

"I'm not taking part in this. You pirates can injure yourselves for all I care! It doesn't matter to me whether you guys win or lose!" She turned back to look at Luffy. "I'm gonna use this chance to swipe their treasure and get outta here! Let's team up again if we ever get the chance!"

Luffy looked at her cluelessly for a second as she ran away, shouting goodbye and good luck. "Yeah! Thanks!" Luffy shouted in response. Emiko looked at the alley the redhead had rushed down before glancing at her captain.

"Want me to follow her?"

Luffy hummed thoughtfully for a moment before shaking his head. "No, I think she'll be fine." Emiko nodded and leaned against a wall to wait for the end of Zoro's fight.

Cabaji threw several spinning tops at Zoro who cut them all swiftly. Then he rushed up the side of a building and flew up high into the sky. Luffy shaded his eyes and crowed in awe. Emiko looked at Buggy, knowing he'd try to hold Zoro down for Cabaji. "Luffy..." she said softly. Luffy glanced at her before turning her eyes in the direction she was looking just as Buggy started moving his hand towards Zoro. Luffy's eyes darkened as he swiftly moved and stomped on Buggy's foot. Buggy let out a shout of pain as he glared at Luffy.

Luffy looked at Buggy with a fierce grin. "Stay out of Zoro's fight!"

Emiko watched impassively as Luffy grinned at Buggy and Zoro panted heavily on the ground from dodging Cabaji's attack. Cabaji laughed, his overconfidence at the sight of the injured Zoro making her grit her teeth. "Zoro," she said dryly, looking at her nails. "I'm bored with this guy."

Zoro let out a slight smirk despite the pain. "Yeah, I'm kinda tired."

Cabaji threw Emiko a glare. "Quiet, woman. Once I've dealt with Zoro I'll cut you up. It should be fairly easy for me to beat such a weakling."

"I meant... That I was tired of your shitty acrobatics," Zoro snapped out. Cabaji let out a growl and peddled at Zoro, screaming at him to die. Zoro jumped up and tensed. "Oni... Giri!" He moved fluidly as Cabaji flew past him. Cabaji fell to the ground, bleeding heavily from several wounds as and muttered about being defeated by sneak-thieves. Zoro fell to the ground himself. "We're not sneak-thieves..." He murmured. "We're pirates! Luffy! I'm goin' to sleep now!"

Luffy grinned and grabbed his arm. "Right! I'll handle the rest!"

Emiko pushed away from the wall and walked up to Zoro. She grabbed his bandana and tucked it away so it wouldn't get lost and reached for his katanas, sheathing them as well. Zoro snored away on the ground and she snorted under her breath. She sat down next to the swordsman and brushed her hand against his forehead to take note of his temperature. Finding it to be relatively normal despite everything, she looked up as Buggy started yelling at Luffy that he was going to be the Pirate King.

Buggy pulled out several knives, holding them between his fingers. He mentioned that Luffy's hat pissed him off and that brought up a conversation about Shanks. Luffy begged to know where he was but Buggy told him he wouldn't tell him anything. Luffy dodged Buggy's attacks deftly and threw his pistol attack at him. He grabbed the tree and then tried a sickle attack, which Buggy dodged by separating. Luffy stood up from the wreckage and frowned at Buggy in annoyance. Buggy moved his hand at Luffy again, which Luffy caught and held onto in attempt to stop the blades from cutting into his face but Buggy separated his limbs once more. Buggy started laughing as Luffy picked up his hat, seeing the rip on the rim.

Emiko stood up and pulled out one of her throwing knives in preparation. Meanwhile, Luffy stared at the damaged hat before turning his enraged gaze to Buggy.

"You bastard!"

"Oh? Was I not supposed to scratch your face or something?" Buggy asked smugly.

Luffy looked back down the hat, his eyes dark as he shook with rage. "How dare you... How dare you damage this hat!"

Buggy looked at him, perplexed. "Huh?"

Luffy stood up and screamed at him. "This is my treasure! Whoever damages this hat absolutely must pay!"

"It would seem that hat has a history to it," Buggy said nonchalantly.

"That's right!"

"Is it that important of a hat?"

Luffy gripped it in his hand, unaware of Buggy's hand that was slowly rising behind him. Emiko moved in view of the hand and relaxed her grip on the throwing knife in her hand. Buggy tossed one of his knives at Luffy who dodged it with a grunt.

"If it's so important... Protect it better!" His hand flew at the hat but Emiko had thrown her own knife as well. Emiko's slim blade flew over Luffy's hat harmlessly before burying itself into Buggy's hand, causing him to shriek in agony. He dropped the knives and Luffy looked at the twitching hand in surprise. He looked at throwing knife for a moment before looking up at Emiko, who looked calm.

"You should be nice and not hurt what Luffy values," Emiko said to the clown. Luffy grinned at Emiko in gratitude and extended his arm to her, giving her the hat. She looked at him in surprise but took the hat, lightly brushing her finger over the cut edge. Luffy had already turned back to glare at Buggy so he missed the soft look that came on her face as she looked at the hat.

"You bastard. That hat is my treasure! It is the hat that Shanks and I swore over!" Luffy roared angrily.

Buggy went on to spout how him and Shanks were once comrades, throwing Luffy into an even bigger rage. Luffy yelled at him to not compare himself to Shanks and glanced over at Emiko holding his hat. She'd started to do some minor repairs to the damaged edge and was largely ignoring the two pirates. Buggy continued to explain to Luffy how he could never forgive Shanks and Luffy listened to the story without comment.

"So, Shanks saved your life," Luffy said with a grin once Buggy had stopped talking.

"That's not the point!" Buggy yelled, teeth sharp. "Because of him, my plan in life was suddenly delayed 10 years! And then I had a revelation! If underwater's no good, I'll obtain all the treasure on land! Using this Bara Bara power. That's why I won't let anyone who touches my treasure live!" Buggy had separated his upper body from his lower so he could dive at Nami, who was sneaking by with a sack full of treasure.

Nami ran away as Luffy glanced back at Buggy's lower body and kicked. Buggy froze as Luffy's powerful kick hit him straight in the balls. "You're still dealing with me!" Luffy said with a grin. Emiko let out a laugh as Buggy whimpered on the ground.

"Hey, Luffy, I fixed your hat. It's good as new!" She said cheerfully. Luffy looked at her in surprise and smiled brightly.

"Yataaa! You're the best! Hold onto it for a bit longer for me." Luffy looked over at Nami and pointed at her. "Oi, leave the treasure and run for it. He'll keep going after you if you take it."

Nami glared at him, holding the treasure sack tighter. "No! Leave the treasure and go?! Absolutely not! Why should I have to leave my own treasure behind!?"

Buggy twitched on the ground. " _YOUR_ treasure!?"

Nami looked at Buggy. "Of course! I'm a thief who only steals from pirates, and I just stole from one!" She held her fist out to Buggy. "Which means this treasure is now mine!"

"Aaah! I see!" Luffy said, his fist hitting his palm in understanding. Emiko's head hit her palm with a sigh.

 _I think these people are going to be the death of me..._

"NONSENSE! That is my treasure!" Buggy cried out, teeth sharp. "Do you think stealing it makes it yours?!"

"That's what she literally just said," Emiko pointed out blandly.

"SHUT UP WOMAN! I still owe you for that knife you threw at me! Honestly! What kind of upbringing did you two have!?"

Nami narrowed her eyes at him coolly. "A criminal, trying to lecture another criminal. Ridiculous! I haven't fallen so low that I need to be corrected by pirates!" She stuck her tongue out at him cheekily.

Buggy clenched his jaw in rage. "I hope you're ready to face the consequences, Nami... Bara Bara! Festival!"

Buggy's body separated into many parts and flew away from Luffy. However, his feet calmly walked away so Luffy grabbed one, pulling it from the shoe and tickled it. He then pulled the skin and slammed it harshly, causing Buggy to stop his assault on Nami momentarily. She yelled at the clown as they got into a tug of war with the sack of treasure. Buggy started to hurl a hand with knife in it at Nami, who screamed with her hands in front of her face. Luffy ran up to Buggy swiftly and kicked him hard in the face.

"I told you! You're dealing with me!" The sack of treasure exploded and Nami flinched as Luffy flew past her and landed with a grin. "Consider that finishing move a kick from the old mayor guy!" Nami gaped at him in shock, her face pale.

"T-Thanks, I owe you one..."

"Yeah, no problem!" Luffy replied. His eyes widened. "Oh yeah! The map!"

Nami gasped. "My treasure!" She glanced over and reared back in fear as Buggy's head and cape floated above the torn sack.

"This isn't over yet, Gomu Gomu!"

"Ah! He's still alive!" Luffy said in surprise. Nami backed away slowly.

"How dare you do this to me!" Buggy raged, killing intent pouring off him so thick that it was practically visible. Luffy's mouth tensed and he clenched his fists in preparation.

"Assemble! Bara Bara Parts!" Buggy yelled out. Seconds later, he was... Assembled with only his hands, legs, and a single piece of his torso. His jaw hit the ground in stunned surprise and Luffy blinked.

The silence that permeated the area was interrupted only by the chirping of a few birds.

Nami finally cackled and they all turned to see a pile of body parts tied up by the sneak thief. "Looking for these?" She asked with a smirk.

"Ah! My par1ts!" Buggy yelled out.

Luffy cracked up and threw his arms behind him. "Way to go, thief! Go flying, Buggy! Gomu Gomu... BAZOOKA!" He slammed his arms into Buggy and the small clown flew into the sky, winking away.

Luffy threw up his arms with a cheer. "I win!"

Nami sweatdropped at the reaction. Emiko watched Luffy dance around excitedly to celebrate his victory. After he was done celebrating, he walked over to Emiko who held out his hat. He grabbed it and put it back on his head. "Thanks for holding onto it!"

Emiko tilted her head with a smile. "Of course. Nice job on that last attack. I don't think we'll be hearing from Buggy anytime soon."

Luffy laughed loudly and looked at Nami who was carrying two smaller sacks of treasure. "You okay?"

Nami nodded. "Yeah. Anyway, I split the treasure into two bags, so carry half of it! It's too heavy for me."

"There sure is a lot!"

Emiko stood up and grabbed Zoro's katanas, strapping them to her back as Nami held up both treasure bags with a grin. The redhead set down the bags and held out a map to Luffy. "Here. It's the chart of the Grand Line. Didn't you want it?"

"You're giving it to me?!" Luffy asked excitedly.

"You _did_ save me," Nami said, looking away.

"Oooh! Thanks, Nami!" He grabbed it and held it reverently. "I finally got a map of the Grand Line! Hurray! Oh! Does that mean you'll be our nakama?!"

"I told you I'm never going to join a pirate crew!" Nami said harshly. "But okay! Staying with you guys seems profitable enough. But I'm only teaming up with you, just so you know! Always remember that!"

"Yeah!" Luffy said with a cheery smile.

"We should leave," Emiko said to Luffy softly. Luffy looked at her curiously before nodding. He walked over to Zoro, nudging him.

"Oi, Zoro! Wake up! We're going!"

Zoro groaned and pushed himself up, rubbing his head. "Did we take care of everything?"

"Yeah! We also got the map and a navigator!"

Zoro turned his head to stare at Nami, who stared back at him with wide eyes. The green hair swordsman turned a bit blue in the face, swaying lightly. "No good... Out of blood… Don't think I can walk..."

"Of course you can't! You wouldn't be human if you two could walk!" Nami said.

Luffy looked at her with a pout. "Why am I included?"

"You're the most suspicious of all!" Nami yelled, teeth sharp.

Emiko tapped Luffy with her foot, eyes fixed on the group of townspeople approaching them. "Luffy, grab Zoro so we can get out of here."

"You there! Are you outsiders!?" Someone yelled. Luffy glanced up at the townspeople.

"Yeah, who are you?"

"We're this towns citizens! Tell us, what happened with the pirates!?" Another man spotted the still unconscious mayor. "Oh! It's the mayor!" The group rushed to him and expressed varying degrees of concern while the pirates looked on.

"Sorry! I kicked the old man's ass!" Luffy said.

"WHAT?!" The citizens all turned back and looked at Luffy furiously. Nami gaped at Luffy in horror while Emiko sighed, palming her face for what felt like the hundredth time that day.

"Hold on! You don't need to tell them that!" Nami yelled.

"You saw it," Luffy replied.

"Yeah, but you had an actual reason..." Nami froze as the citizens approached them with various makeshift weapons, promises of pain in their eyes.

"Why did you guys do this to our mayor!? Who are you?! Are you with those pirates?!"

"We're pirates!" Luffy said, his face neutral.

Nami fell over. Emiko looked up at the sky, silently begging for someone to send her back to her own world. Zoro started cracking up while the citizens started to yell at them.

"YOU IDIOT!" Nami screamed, teeth sharp.

"But it's true!" Luffy cried out. He calmly walked over to Zoro and knelt next to him.

"What now? Doesn't look like they'll hear us out..." Zoro asked in amusement. Luffy grinned and threw the swordsman over his shoulder. He took off down the street, telling them all to run. Emiko let out a breathless laugh as she chased after Luffy and Nami. They ducked down an alley, all of them leaping over Chouchou who didn't move. The citizens continued to chase them but were stopped by Chouchou, who barked at them. Not knowing what to do, the citizens yelled at the small dog who remained unfazed. Luffy grinned as the dog gave the pirates the time to escape the mob.

* * *

Once back at the dock, Nami hunched over the treasure, breathing heavily. "That was scary! Why do we have to put up with this?!"

Emiko stayed slightly behind Luffy and looked at the navigator with a small smile. "If only you knew..."

"Does it matter now? We're done here anyway..."

"Maybe so, but..."

"Hey! Is this your boat?!" Luffy asked, interrupting her. "It's great!"

"I don't think it's so great. I stole it from some idiot pirates," Nami said.

"That's a big mouth ya got!" A voice said. The three pirates from earlier stood up and smirked at Luffy and Nami, unaware of Emiko hidden behind her captain. "Been waitin' for ya, thief girl!"

"Never thought you'd run into us here, did ya!"

Nami laughed nervously as the pirates approached Luffy. "You know them?" Luffy asked.

"You could say that..." Nami muttered.

"We're bound by fate! So, you had friends huh? Guess we'll have to punish you too! You're gonna learn how bad it is to steal other people's stuff!" The pirate with the weird hat said to Luffy, who frowned at him. "Hey you! Quit ignoring me!" He smacked Zoro on the top of his head, causing the swordsman to look up with a hazy glare.

All three pirates instantly paled and shrank back from the group. Emiko let out a snicker and stepped out from behind Luffy, causing them to turn green as they instantly fell to the ground, groveling.

"PLEASE! We didn't know! We're sorry!"

Emiko suppressed a laugh and forced her face into a frown. "Didn't I tell you what would happen if you threatened me? The one in the hat is my captain. Remember what I said?"

The pirates all screamed in terror and started blubbering as they cried, begging for their lives. Luffy blinked in confusion at the sight before turning to his nakama. She shook her head silently and he raised an eyebrow. He walked past the kneeling pirates and set Zoro down in the smaller boat. Nami grabbed a bag of treasure and hopped into the boat she'd stolen, preparing to head out to sea. Emiko kicked one of the pirates, causing him to pass out from sheer terror. She barely contained her laughter this time so she swiftly jumped into the boat, allowing Luffy to finish untying it from the dock.

"All right! Let's get going!" Luffy shouted as the two boats started to go out to sea. Zoro glanced over at the boat Nami was in and eyed the sail.

"Isn't that Buggy's mark on your sail?" He asked.

Nami shrugged with a smile. "Well, this _is_ his boat. I'll get rid of it sometime!"

"HEY! WAIT! YOUNG ONES!" A shout came from the docks. All four of the teens looked back to see the mayor, panting harshly.

They all waited in silence to see what else he would say. "Thanks! I'm in your debt!"

"Don't worry about it! Take it easy!" Luffy shouted back with a grin. Nami smiled and looked around the boats, her smile falling.

"Hey! Where's the other treasure bag?"

"Oh? I left it," Luffy said indifferently.

"WHAT?!" Nami shrieked. "You left it?!

"Yeah!"

"Just one is worth 5 million berries you know!"

"But they need the money to fix the town, right?"

"That was _my_ treasure!" Nami yelled. Luffy shrunk away with a scared look on his face. "Do you know how much I suffered trying to steal it?!" The redhead lunged at him and shoved his head towards the ocean. Luffy grabbed onto the side of boat, clinging desperately. "Why did you do that?!"

"Stop! I can't swim!"

"That's the whole idea!"

"If you want it so badly, go back and get it!"

"I can't do that! _YOU_ go get it!"

The two continued to struggle and argue as Zoro and Emiko looked on. Zoro started to laugh hysterically while Emiko let out a few chuckles. She got up and grabbed the medical supplies, setting them down next to Zoro. The swordsman stopped laughing and looked at the top of her head curiously. "What's that?"

"Stuff to help with your injury. Take off your shirt," Emiko said absentmindedly as she pulled out some things.

Zoro sputtered incoherently at the command. Emiko glanced up at him with an expectant look, a few supplies in her hands. He let out a sigh and tugged off his shirt, wincing as the wound pulled from the action. Emiko clicked her tongue as she got a better look at the wound. She immediately got to work, valiantly ignoring the toned chest in front of her. Pulling the needle and thread through his skin, she stitched up the wound on his stomach before nudging him so she could get to the wound on his back. Once she was finished she handed him some gauze which he wrapped around his middle a few times. She put away the rest of the supplies and rinsed her hands in the ocean.

"Thanks," Zoro said softly. Emiko glanced at him and smiled.

"You're welcome. Get some rest and try not to stress the stitches too badly. They can probably come out in a day or two." Emiko glanced over at Nami and Luffy who were crazily enough, still arguing about the treasure. She let out a snort of laughter and Zoro chuckled as well. "It's like they've been friends forever, the way their arguing."

"No shit. Think you can handle them for a bit?"

"It'll be like babysitting. I'm sure I can handle it," Emiko deadpanned. Zoro grinned and settled down to take a nap, passing out instantly.

Emiko glanced at him briefly before getting up to stop Nami from killing Luffy. "All right, I think he gets it Nami. Don't mess with your treasure. Now, please stop trying to drown him."

Nami released her victim with a final glare. Luffy gasped for breath and hid behind Emiko, peeking out from behind her which was quite the feat since he was a few inches taller than her. "Just so long as he remembers next time, we're good for now," Nami said with a casual wave of her hand. Emiko put her a hand on her hip and eyed the redhead curiously. She didn't have a moment earlier to really look at Nami and she wasn't surprised to find her to be quite pretty. Busty, cute face, and all attitude.

She was startled from her observation by Luffy who put his chin on her shoulder and pouted at Nami. "The villagers still needed to rebuild..." He muttered softly. Emiko rolled her eyes and forced her blush down.

"Enough. Luffy, you have watch tonight since you keep antagonizing Nami," Emiko said firmly. Luffy poked her side in retaliation, making her twitch.

"Hey! I'm the captain! I make the decisions!"

She turned and looked at him. "Please?"

Luffy's resolve collapsed instantly at the imploring blue eyes of his nakama. He nodded wordlessly and was rewarded with a beaming smile that made his heart skip a beat. Emiko turned around and climbed on Nami's boat so the two could get to know each other a bit. He watched silently as the females quickly became entrenched in a conversation that made his head spin. With a sigh of resignation, he puffed out his cheeks and idly went to the front of the boat. That is until he spotted a bag near the front and peaked inside.

"FOOD!"

"GODDAMNIT LUFFY!"

Zoro kept snoring.


	7. Chapter 7

I suppose I should post more of this shouldn't I? Yeah, here ya go. Have fun!

* * *

Emiko looked up at the starry sky with a furrowed brow. They'd only left the village a few hours ago and she had been unable to fall asleep unlike the rest of the group. Her mind went over the events of the past several days and the sheer impossibility gave her an intense headache. She hadn't allowed herself to dwell too much on the fact that she was in a fictional place for fear that she'd have a complete mental breakdown. But now, in the darkness with only the sound of water and the snores of her companions, she felt panic pull at her chest.

In a desperate attempt to slow her heart rate, she pressed a hand to her chest and let out a slow breath. Her head hit the side of the small cabin on the boat Nami had taken with a dull thud and inside of the cabin, Nami's eyes opened slowly from the sound. With a frown, the redhead rubbed her eyes and stumbled out of the cabin.

"Emi?"

Emiko forced a small smile on her face as she looked up at Nami. "Sorry for waking you. Guess I have a harder head than I thought. You can go back to sleep."

Nami looked down at Emi with a frown. "Are you all right?"

Emiko swallowed thickly and nodded. "Of course, I'm fine. Just enjoying the night." Her eyes widened slightly as the redhead let out a scoff and plopped down next to her.

"You don't look all right. I know we don't know each other very well but if you'd like to talk…"

Emiko sighed and looked up at the sky once more, her thoughts swirling viciously as the two girls sat in silence for some time. Emiko reluctantly tore her gaze away from the stars and stared at her knees, oblivious to the few tears that made their way down her cheeks. "I'm a little… Lost, I guess you could say. Not, lost in the metaphorical sense but lost in the physical sense. I'm not sure how I got here and I'm not sure if I can ever go home. There are people back at my home that need me and I'm…"

Nami glanced at the silently crying girl. "I understand. Is that why you joined Luffy? Is your home somewhere in the Grand Line?"

"I don't believe so. But, I just have this feeling. Strange things happen around Luffy and if there's any way I can get home I feel like he'll be able to stumble across it. So, I will follow him through whatever fires he comes across in hopes that it will bring me closer to that goal."

Nami hummed thoughtfully before looking up at the sky. "Well, I hope that you find what you're searching for. I'll help you however I can while I'm teamed up with you guys."

"Thanks, Nami. I appreciate it," Emiko murmured, giving the girl a genuine smile. Nami patted her shoulder before getting up with a stretch.

"I'm going back to sleep. You should get some rest too. Wake one of the boys up to take watch or something."

Emiko nodded her head and looked back up at the sky. Nami stared at the other girl for a moment before going back into the cabin. Emiko let her eyes close as she heard the door click close and couldn't help the soft sigh that escaped her lips. She rolled her shoulders and settled next to the cabin anxiously. Despite getting out some of concerns out to Nami, she knew she wouldn't be able to sleep so she resigned herself to a long night on watch.

In the other boat, Luffy stared up at the same sky with a small frown. Having heard the girls' conversation, he silently vowed to help Emiko however he could. With those thoughts, he put his hat over his eyes and went back to sleep.

* * *

They'd been out at sea for a few days now, guided by Nami's excellent navigational skills. Every time she made some revelation about the weather or currents, Luffy would get stars in his eyes. Currently though, he was munching on an apple that Emiko had let him eat. After he'd first discovered the food, he'd received a knife nearly buried in his leg for digging in without permission. His sputtering about how he was the captain was only met by baleful blue eyes, which instantly silenced him. When Zoro had woken up after one his naps, he'd found the reaction highly amusing and purposefully tried to incite Luffy to do something stupid so Emiko would stop him. Emiko was not as amused.

Nami crossed her arms and tapped her foot in full on thinking mode. "It'd be reckless to go straight into the Grand Line now!"

The three other pirates looked up at her statement. Luffy pulled the mostly devoured apple out of his mouth and chewed thoughtfully. "Yeah, some meat would be nice to have first." He chomped the remaining apple core while looking at the barrel full of apples morosely. "Eating nothing but fruit every day is no good..."

"Need some sake, too!" Zoro said with a smile. Nami promptly threw an apple at him, which smacked him right in the face. Luffy's arm swiftly extended and caught the apple before it could hit the water. Nami glared at the swordsman.

"What are you talking about?! That's not what I meant! The Grand Line is the most dangerous place in the world! On top of that, it's crawling with strong pirates after the One Piece! And they're all on powerful ships, of course!"

Zoro scratched his cheek with a frown while Emiko tapped her chin thoughtfully. "So we need enough food for an army, enough booze to get drunk for days on end, and a ship to put all of the food and booze. Is that about right?" Emiko asked innocently. Nami gave her a flat look, to which the auburn hair girl merely smiled at in response.

Luffy chomped on the apple he'd caught. "We need more people, too!"

Nami nodded. "The number of crew members, the lack of equipment on this ship... There's no way we could survive like this!"

"Yeah. We need a cook! And a musician!" Luffy said.

Zoro looked at him incredulously. "A musician!?" He burst out into laughter.

Nami slumped, her aura defeated. "You're so stupid..." Emiko gave Nami a gentle pat on the shoulder in sympathy.

"We also need a proper doctor," Emiko said. Luffy looked at her in surprise.

"Can't you do the doctoring stuff?"

Emiko wrinkled her nose. "Well, I know the basics but that's about it. We need someone around who knows more than just basic field dressings. I can stitch you up but if you get some illness, I'd be useless." Luffy nodded in understanding. Nami scowled at the pair. She couldn't understand why the boy seemed to hang on Emiko's every word but practically ignored her when she gave a suggestion. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Nami pulled out a map.

"Anyway. A little to the south of here is an island with people living on it. It'd be best if we can get a real ship there."

Luffy's arms shot up in excitement, his face widening with a huge grin. "Finally! We get to eat some meat!"

"Don't forget the sake!" Zoro said with an identical grin.

Nami let out a low scream of frustration. "You guys!"

Emiko just plopped down next to Zoro and closed her eyes to nap until they got to the island. _Usopp is next, then. Wonder if he'll be like he is in the show. So far, everything has followed pretty much to the letter. I've purposefully let most things take their course so as not to damage anything in the future. And I still have to make a decision on what to do about Ace... I guess I have some time to really think about it. The repercussions of interfering in that event could change things for the worse..._ Her train of thought ended as she fell asleep.

Zoro looked at his nakama silently. He turned his gaze back up at the sky and thought back to the conversation Luffy and he had a few nights previously...

 _"Hey, Luffy, I was wondering..." Zoro had said softly. Luffy glanced up from his spot on the boat to look at Zoro curiously. "I can understand why you wanted me on your crew. But why Emiko? You didn't know her any longer than you knew me, from what you've told me."_

 _Luffy looked over at Emiko who was deeply asleep, her trench coat covering her. He stared at her for several minutes as if trying to find the right words, Zoro waiting patiently for him to respond. Finally, Luffy looked back a Zoro with a serious look. "I'm not sure. I just looked at her and it felt... Right. I knew on some level that I had to take her with me or something would have happened to her. I can't really explain it."_

 _Zoro blinked in surprise before looking at the girl as well. "Huh. And you trust her? Without any sort of assurances?"_

 _"Yes," Luffy replied instantly._

 _Zoro sat silently for a moment before turning to look at Luffy again. "That's that, then."_

 _"That's that," Luffy said with a nod._

Zoro shook the memory away from his mind and let out a soft sigh. As much as people would call him crazy, Luffy seemed to have this weird sixth sense when it came to people. In a short amount of time, he'd proven himself very capable of determining when someone was or was not a threat. That said, Zoro was still cautious. He knew absolutely nothing about Emiko other than small insignificant details. She shared very little about her personal life and although he was similar in that regard, he'd never heard of Emiko before. Being as skilled as she was and completely unknown was usually a bad sign. A sign that said spy or assassin. So he would be a diligent First Mate and not let his guard down completely.

* * *

"Ah! Finally! I see the island!" Nami said cheerfully.

The three other pirates looked up in the direction Nami was pointing and spotted the island as well.

"Woohoo! Meat!" Luffy shouted joyously.

Nami glared at him. "Idiot..."

Emiko yawned and stretched languorously. She blinked a few times to clear the sleep from her eyes before standing up. It didn't take long for the current to take them to the island, where they all jumped ashore. Luffy looked around excitedly as Zoro also loudly yawned, waking up himself. Zoro had since recovered from his injury and only had to endure being shirtless in front of Emiko one additional time, something he was grateful for.

"Finally on dry land again..." Zoro groaned with a huge stretch.

"Aaah. There's a village past here?!" Luffy asked.

Nami nodded in response. "Mmmhmm. It looks like it's a small one though..." She looked at the map thoughtfully.

"In that case, meat, meat, meat! There's a place to eat in this village, right?!" Luffy begged, his mouth watering at the thought.

"Forget about meat for a minute, would you!?" Nami said in annoyance. Emiko tugged on Luffy's arm and pointed to the cliff above them. He frowned and squinted in confusion. Zoro stopped his yawn to look up at the trees suspiciously. His arms dropped and he casually moved his grip to his katanas. He flicked his thumb, Wado sliding out of the sheath a bit.

"Careful. I sense people!" He said softly. Emiko already had her dagger in hand. She suspected it was just Usopp but it would be so like this universe to spring something like a zombie horde on her or something. Luffy looked around eagerly.

"People? Where?! Where? Where?!"

Zoro tensed and crouched down. "Look out!"

Luffy danced and hopped as he dodged several shots from above. Zoro looked up at the cliffside as several pirate flags were raised. Luffy shrieked in excitement.

"SO COOL!"

Nami looked from behind the boat and scowled at the excited boy. "Is now the time to be impressed?!" Emiko looked torn between laughing and cursing so instead she spun her dagger in her hand as she stared up at the trees. Usopp came into view and she relaxed. If it was just Usopp, then they were safe.

"I am Usopp! Leader of the great pirates who reign over this village! People praise me! And then praise me some more! As 'Captain Usopp!'

Luffy's grin fell. "Huh?"

"If you're thinking of attacking this village, then forget it!" Usopp shouted, his chest out as he continued. "My 80 million subordinates won't sit by quietly!"

"AWESOMME!" Luffy yelled, his jaw on the ground. Emiko palmed her face in exasperation and smothered another laugh. Zoro stared at Luffy with a confused face.

"You're lying, aren't you?" Nami asked casually.

Usopp's grin faded and he panicked. "AH! She saw through it!"

"Well, you shouldn't use such ridiculous lies," Emiko said. "80 million men? Really? Where would you put 80 million pirates in this small area?"

Usopp wiggled piteously as he groaned, his lie bursting into flames. Luffy looked at Emiko and Nami in shock. "What?! He was lying?!"

"Curse you, you crafty tacticians!" Usopp yelled. "80 million may have been an exaggeration, but I do have great men under my command!"

"What, like three?" Emiko couldn't help but ask. The three kids screamed in unison, popping up from the bushes with the pirate flags in hand.

"AAAH! She saw through it! R-Run!"

Usopp's eyes bulged. "H-Hey! You guys! Don't run away!" He turned and looked at the pirates with fear, his whole body trembling. Nami picked up one of the small metal balls on the ground, blowing on it to remove the sand.

"I've never heard of pirates using slingshots before!"

Luffy laughed, hands on his hips. "You're neat!"

Usopp glared at Luffy. "Don't insult me! I'm a very proud man!" He pulled out his slingshot and readied a shot. Luffy looked up at him, his smile gone. "Because of my great pride, people call me... "Proud Usopp"! You saw it yourself just now! My slingshot skills are far greater than your average pistol!"

Luffy's head dropped and he covered his eyes with his hat. "Now that you've drawn your pistol, put your life on the line."

Usopp's jaw dropped and his hand shook.

"I'm saying those aren't for threatening people," Luffy continued, his eyes baring down on Usopp's soul. Zoro looked at Luffy before smirking and turning as well. He flicked out his katana again with a smirk. Emiko also twirled her dagger with an evil grin on her face.

"What you're looking at now are _real_ pirates!" Zoro called out.

All three stared at Usopp with firm, unwavering gazes. Usopp's fear grew and sweat poured from his brow. Unable to hold on any longer, the small ball fell to the ground followed swiftly by Usopp who looked at them all with glassy eyes. "R-Real pirates definitely have way more punch behind their words... Awesome..."

Luffy, Zoro and Emiko looked at each before cracking up. Luffy looked up at Usopp with a grin. "We stole those lines!"

"Eh?!"

"From Shanks, a pirate I respect!" Luffy said.

"S-Shanks!?" Usopp choked out. "You know Red-Haired Shanks, the great pirate!?"

"Yeah! Your dad's Yasopp, right?"

Usopp fell right off the cliff with a shriek and a thud as he hit the sand. He sat up and looked at Luffy dumbly. "Yeah, Yasopp _is_ my old man... But how do you know that?"

"Gimme food and I'll tell you!" Luffy said with a grin.

Usopp blinked in confusion while Nami groaned in annoyance.

* * *

At the restaurant, Luffy was gnawing on a hunk of meat while Zoro gulped down enough sake to drown a small child. Luffy explained to Usopp how he met Yasopp and how he knew Yasopp was his father. Emiko tuned out their conversation and ate her rice, thinking of the events that were going to happen in the village. Her thoughts were interrupted by Nami asking Usopp if he had any friends with a ship. Usopp immediately turned nervous and denied it, saying that the village was too small. Zoro stared out the window with an eyebrow raised.

"There's a huge mansion on top of the hill. What about them?"

Nami clasped her hands together. "Do you know them, Usopp? Think you could ask them to help pay for one?"

Usopp glared. "You can't go there!"

Luffy paused in his inhalation of food to stare at Usopp in surprise. Emiko was the only one not confused by the sniper's reaction. Usopp recovered, poorly, by saying that he had something to do and he rushed out the door. Nami looked at the door swinging shut with a frown.

"What was he in such a rush for?"

Luffy shrugged and continued to shove food into his black hole of a stomach. Emiko leaned her head on her hand and stared out the window. She thought about what Usopp was doing, most likely entertaining Kaya, until she spotted three figures moving not so stealthily towards the restaurant. She smirked slightly and leaned back in the booth next to Luffy. Luffy swallowed his last bite with a satisfied sigh just as the door burst open.

"The Usopp Pirates have arrived!"

Nami looked around the booth as Luffy blinked at the kids. Emiko put her head on Luffy's shoulder so she could see them better and she couldn't help but smile at their attempted fierceness. "What are they?" Nami asked.

The kids immediately started to grimace in fear. "The captain is gone!"

"You don't think he..."

One of the kids rushed up to the table, his hand still raised with his wooden sword. "H-Hey, pirates! What did you do with our Captain Usopp!?"

Luffy put down his glass with a thump and rubbed his stomach. "Aaaah! That meat was yummy!" Emiko buried her face into his shoulder to hide her laughter from the kids, not wanting to ruin the fun just yet. Luffy's arm snaked around her waist casually, causing her to blush slightly, which was hidden since she had her face turned away.

"Meat?!"

"Don't tell me the captain..."

Nami giggled while Zoro grinned darkly at the kids. "If you're lookin' for your captain...We ate him."

There was a moment of silence as they stared at Zoro in horror before they all looked at Nami and began to scream. "AAAAAHHH! OLD HAG!"

"What are you looking at me for?!" Nami screeched, teeth sharp.

Emiko was unable to contain her laughter any longer and collapsed on the table in a fit. Luffy and Zoro also joined in the merriment while the owner of the restaurant continued to read his paper with a smile. The three kids collapsed onto the floor in a heap, completely unable to stand from the shock of the entire event.

* * *

"Oh! So it was just a joke! That's a relief!" Carrot said with a smile as the three kids led the pirates to Kaya's mansion.

Once they reached the gate, Luffy made some impressed noises at the size of the estate. Nami eyed the mansion with a calculating look in her eyes. The mere thought of the money within made her visibly brighten. "If the captain ran off at this hour, he would be here," Onion said.

Luffy scratched his head. "What would he be doing here?"

"To lie!" Carrot declared.

"That's a bad thing to say!" Nami said, scolding the children.

"It's not bad! He's great!" Carrot said. The other two children nodded vigorously in agreement. Zoro frowned in confusion.

"How does that work?"

"Kaya, the girl who lives here, is weak and she has depression from her parents dying from an illness a year ago. Even though she has lots of money, she's so sad. So our captain tells his special made up stories to make her laugh! Cause our captain's the best at telling lies!"

"Oh, so he's great," Luffy said. The kids nodded their heads. Emiko leaned against the fence with her arms crossed, a contemplative look on her face.

"I almost wouldn't call him a liar, per say. Lies are usually told to keep the truth from being revealed. He sounds more like a storyteller. Storytellers are adept at making up situations for entertainment. He may tell lies on occasion but what he tells Kaya are strictly stories, with no malicious intent. If he places himself in the stores it's simply because that's the easiest way for him to tell it," Emiko said absently. The others looked at her in surprise. She raised an eyebrow at their reaction. "What? I'm familiar with those types of people. I lived with one."

"Yeah! The old hag is right! We like the captain's meddling side!" Carrot declared. Emiko scowled.

"Who the hell are you calling a hag?!"

Carrot let out a squeak and hid behind the other two kids. Emiko huffed in irritation but didn't move to strangle the life from him despite the desire to do so.

"So... He's helping her feel a little better?" Nami asked.

"Yeah, a lot better!"

"Yosh!" Luffy yelled, a huge toothy grin on his face. "Let's ask her for a ship after all!"

Zoro rolled his eyes. "It's thanks to _Usopp_ that she's gotten better."

"Just getting in is impossible! There are super strong guards at the front gate!"

Emiko watched as Luffy marched up to the fence and grabbed it. "Is this wise?" She asked him dryly. He threw her a grin and climbed up the fence and started to push back with his feet. The others cried out in alarm as Emiko watched them all grab onto Luffy.

"Gomu Gomu... Pardon... The intrusion!"

The pirates, minus Emiko, all flung into the air with Luffy laughing madly. Emiko sighed in exasperation and glanced at the mansion with a grim look on her face. Kuro was inside that mansion and she'd rather not tangle with him at the moment. The urge to slit his throat would probably be a bit overwhelming if he opened his stupid mouth so she walked back down the path, arms behind her head. She figured that Zoro would be responsible enough to keep them mostly out of trouble for a bit so she could wander around the town and see what else the town had to offer.

As she continued down the path, she spotted someone far off in the distance and immediately recognized Jango. She considered strangling him a bit but scowled when she thought of the potential consequences. _This whole, not knowing what actions could irreparably damage the future is troublesome,_ she thought bitterly. With a sigh, she stopped along the wooden fence that lined the path and sat down, her legs stretched out in front of her. She tilted her face back and let herself be warmed by the sun as she let her thoughts drift.

She'd been with Luffy and Zoro for about... What, a couple weeks? Most of which was spent on a small boat. Being in such close proximity to both of them had allowed her to figure both of them out pretty rapidly. Luffy was impulsive and guileless. He seemed just as adept at getting into trouble as he was at getting out of it. She could now understand why many believed he was born under the right star. At one point when they first left, he'd almost been swallowed by a fish that he'd been trying to catch, naturally so he could eat it. He'd held the fish's mouth open for an extended period of time, all while screaming insults and for help. The entire situation had been ridiculous and had only ended when Zoro sliced the fish in half.

Turning her thoughts to Zoro, she reflected on what she'd figured out about the swordsman. He had proven to be easy to read but hard to fool. Not that she'd been intentionally trying to fool him; more like she wasn't really willing to tell him she was from another world and she knew things. She could tell he was suspicious of her and she was actually grateful for that. Zoro was levelheaded and loyal to Luffy, which she found very endearing. She'd gone out of her way to not antagonize him but she could tell he was getting to the point of cornering her to ask her the questions that burned in his eyes as he looked at her when she thought she was unaware. Perhaps she'd indulge him when they were on the Merry... If only to tease him.

Then, there was their more recent addition, Nami. She wasn't sure she would really like Nami but the girl was surprisingly easy to get along with. Of course, that was only when she wasn't screaming at Luffy for some reason or another. After the first dozen times she'd caught Nami trying to drown Luffy, she'd pulled the girl aside and asked her point blank if she liked Luffy. At first, Nami had been shockingly confused. When it had registered what she'd ask, Nami had turned purple from suppressing the urge to scream. The level of disgust in her eyes at the thought had appeased Emiko and given her something to poke fun at. Then Nami had hit her in the head and she'd ceased. The girl hit pretty hard.

Emiko cracked open her eyes as she heard people approaching. She turned her head and spotted Nami, Zoro and two of the kids coming her way. "Emiko! I was wondering where you'd gone," Nami said with a wave. Emiko shrugged and didn't comment, aware of Zoro's laser focus. Nami hopped up on the fence and swung her legs as she sat, sighing heavily as Zoro relaxed on the ground next to Emiko. _Probably to incapacitate me if I suddenly become a threat,_ Emiko thought in amusement.

Emiko peered up at the girl. "What happened?" She asked, already knowing full well the events but deciding to ask anyway.

Nami summed up the events with the goddamned butler and how Usopp had run off. Nami looked around with a slight frown. "Speaking of, where's Luffy?"

Zoro yawned and put his arms behind his head. "Who knows? Probably ran after that 'captain'."

"The captain would be at his spot!" One of the kids said.

"Aye! The shore! He always goes there when something happens! Wanna go check it out?"

Emiko pondered the statement while Zoro responded. "Huh? Nah, that's okay. We'll just hang out here."

"Oh, _we_ will, huh?" Emiko asked him dryly. Zoro opened one eye and stared at her with a raised eyebrow. She shrugged and nodded in silent agreement. The lack of an argument seemed to satisfy him as he shut his eye once more.

"Nevermind that. Isn't one of you missing?" Nami asked.

"Yeah! Onion! He always shows up and disappears. And then he shows up all freaked out!"

A cry and someone running came from down the path. They all turned their head and stared at Onion who was running towards them in a panic. Emiko snickered at the sight.

"See?" Carrot said wryly.

"A b-backwards guy!" Onion cried out as he approached them. "A weird guy is backwards-walking this way!"

"Liar!" The other two kids said at the same time.

Emiko smiled slightly. "That seems like a really weird lie to tell."

"That's because it's the truth!" Onion said indignantly. "Just look!" He turned and pointed down the path. They all looked curiously and were surprised to see Jango approaching them backwards. Jango paused in front of them and looked at the kids with a frown.

"Hey! Who's calling me a weird guy!? I'm not weird," Jango declared, holding his hat as he stepped weirdly in place.

"Now _that_ is a lie," Emiko said, pointing at the purple coated man. Zoro let out a quiet snicker before he seemed to remember who made the statement, causing him to flush slightly. Emiko shot him a small smirk as he scowled in response.

"Yeah, seems pretty weird to me," Nami said.

"Don't be stupid! I'm just an ordinary, passing-by hypnotist!"

"And my point is made for me," Emiko said with another chuckle. Jango threw her a glare from behind his glasses which she ignored.

"A hypnotist?! Awesome!" Onion said.

"Show us something!" Carrot demanded.

"What?!" Jango said, seemingly enraged at the request. "Don't be dumb! Why should I reveal my secret technique to strangers!?" He then pulled out his chakram and held it out. "All right. Watch this ring closely."

Zoro stared at him incredulously. "You're gonna do it?!"

"Everyone in this place is insane," Emiko said bluntly.

"You'll feel sleepy at the count of 'one, two, Jango.' All right, here we go!" Jango said, the chakram swinging in front of the kids whose eyes followed it intently. "One, two, Jango!"

The kids and Jango all instantly fell asleep, the chakram in Jango's hand still swinging as his arm held it up. Zoro's jaw dropped in stunned disbelief.

"What is with this guy?!"

"As I said, insane."


	8. Chapter 8

Luffy scratched his cheek as he trailed after Usopp. The long nosed teen had rushed off pretty fast but had left a fairly obvious trail so he was pretty sure he could find him. He thought about what he'd seen back at the mansion and he scowled. Usopp had been right to defend his father and the stupid butler deserved the punch to his face. With a nod, he made the decision that Usopp would be his nakama as well and the thought of another crew member made him grin cheerfully.

He finally spotted Usopp sitting next to a tree on the cliffside so he flung himself into the tree and hung upside down in front of him.

"Yo!"

Usopp gasped and fell backwards. "What the!?"

"Here you are!"

"Oh, it's just you. At least announce yourself next time, will ya!? So, what, did you want something?" Usopp asked with a scowl.

"Not really," Luffy replied. He stretched out his hands and walked forward on them so he could pull his feet from the tree. He lost his balance and collapsed on the ground with a grunt. _Good thing Emiko wasn't here to see that. She'd probably be disappointed in that graceful movement_ , Luffy thought. He rubbed his head with a slight groan.

Usopp blinked at Luffy as if unable to understand him at all. He sat up a bit straighter and frowned as he thought again about what the butler had said earlier. Luffy, meanwhile, was clapping his feet together absentmindedly. "That damned butler..." Usopp growled. "Insulting my old man like that!"

Luffy paused in his foot clapping. "Yeah, I hate that guy too! No matter what anyone says, Yasopp was a great pirate!"

"Yeah, huh!?" Usopp said excitedly, crawling next to Luffy. "In this day and age where pirates are everywhere, I'm proud of my old man for living with his life on the line at the sea! Yet, that bastard stomped all over my pride. He'll pay for that!"

Luffy looked up at him. "But you're not gonna go see the girl anymore?"

Usopp's eyes widened at the question. "Yeah... I dunno..." He muttered.

Luffy hummed thoughtfully. "If someone told me I couldn't see Emiko anymore, I'd punch them into the ground. You should still go see her."

"Maybe..." Usopp said softly. "Wait, where is that other girl? Emiko, you said? She wasn't at the mansion with us, was she?"

Luffy froze and thought back. "No... She wasn't. I think she stayed behind. She'll be fine."

Usopp nodded. "Anyway, if that stupid butler apologizes I _might_ go back."

"You mean _that_ butler?" Luffy asked as he pointed down to the beach. Usopp looked down, a frown forming on his face.

"Yeah... That butler..." He shoved Luffy's head down into the ground in shock as the sight registered. "What's that butler doing out here?!"

"Owwww! That hurts!" Luffy cried, his fingers twitching as his face was pressed into the ground.

Meanwhile, down below, Kuro had turned back to Jango and glared at him darkly. "Hey, Jango. I told you to avoid doing anything to make you stand out. Yet you go and sleep in the middle of the village!"

"Don't be stupid. I don't stand out one bit. I'm not weird, either," Jango said.

"There's someone else with him. A weird guy..." Luffy said softly.

"Never seen him before. Wonder who he is," Usopp murmured.

Kuro adjusted his glasses with his palm. "So, preparations for the plan are ready, I hope?"

"Of course. We can start anytime... The Rich Girl Assassination Plan!"

Usopp grit his teeth. "A-Assassination!?"

"Don't call it assassination, Jango. That has a bad ring to it," Kuro scolded.

"Ah, yes. Right. Accident. It's an accident," Jango replied sarcastically.

Luffy glanced up at Usopp curiously. "Hey, what're those guys talking about?"

Usopp was glaring down at the two. "Don't look at me! That's what I'd like to know!"

"We can't simply kill her," Kuro continued. "Miss Kaya must perish in an unfortunate accident. Don't mess that up!" Kuro started to walk away from Jango, who sat down on a rock heavily.

"So basically, the men and I wait for your signal and then we storm the village and kill the girl. And then you'll get her inheritance."

"You fool! You don't understand a thing!" Kuro spat. "How would I, an outsider, inherit Kaya's estate?!"

Jango raised a fist. "You'll work hard?"

Kuro scoffed derisively. "Working hard won't amount to shit. Listen, this is the most important thing! _Before_ you kill her, you'll use your hypnosis to make Kaya write her will to say, 'I leave my entire fortune to my butler, Klahadore!'"

Usopp gasped in shock as Kuro continued on with an evil grin. "Only then will I inherit her enormous fortune. In a completely ordinary manner. I've spent three long years gaining the trust of everyone around me so that it would be unsurprising for her to leave everything to me."

"Three years as a butler for that, huh?" Jango asked. "But you sure scared us back then, Captain Kuro. Three years ago, you suddenly said you were giving up life as a pirate. In no time at all, you set up a subordinate to be your double, then let the world see Captain Kuro get executed. So _that_ was the very beginning of _this_ plan. You truly are Kuro, Man of a Thousand Plans."

"Don't call me that," Kuro snapped out. "I abandoned that name three years ago. I now want to obtain great sums of money without the government on my back. In other words, I'm a pacifist."

Jango laughed. "Some pacifist you are, killing off an entire rich family for this 'peace' of yours."

"Hold on, now. The father's death was real," Kuro said mildly. "I hadn't planned on that."

"Well, whatever. It doesn't matter. Anyway, hurry and give the signal. We've been sitting in the waters near here for a whole week now. The men are starting to get impatient."

Up on the cliff, Usopp was trembling with rage and terror. He felt hot and cold at the same time, unable to decide what he should do. Luffy lounged next to him, his feet clapping together again. "Hey, what's going on? That sounds kinda bad," he said calmly.

"Weren't you listening this whole time?!" Usopp cried out softly. "This is seriously bad! They're the real deal! Captain Kuro is said to be the smartest and most brutal pirate of all! Word had it the navy caught and executed him three years ago but he's clearly alive! As Klahadore, the butler! He's been after Kaya's fortune for these past three years!"

Luffy stared at Usopp blankly as Usopp continued to panic. He turned his gaze down to the two pirates and stood up. He took a deep breath and shouted down. "HEY! You guys! Don't attack that girl!" Usopp fell over comically behind him in shock. Kuro and Jango both looked up.

"Who're you?!" Jango asked.

Usopp tugged at Luffy's arm. "You idiot! They spotted you! Hurry and hide before they kill you!"

Luffy ignored Usopp and continued to glare mutinously at the pirates. Kuro turned his gaze to Usopp and narrowed his eyes. "If it isn't Usopp-kun."

Usopp shrieked. "They spotted me too!"

"Did you... Hear anything?" Kuro asked.

Usopp waved his hands frantically. "No! Whatever do you mean!? We just got here now, so of course we didn't hear anything!"

"We heard everything," Luffy declared, arms crossed.

"Hey, you!" Usopp said, eyes wide as he smacked Luffy on the chest with the back of his hand.

Kuro started to chuckle and gave Jango a look. Jango sighed. "Oh, all right." He walked a bit closer to the cliff and pulled out his chakram again. "Hey, you guys! Watch this ring closely!"

Luffy looked down in confusion as Usopp hid behind him. "What?"

"This is bad! It's a throwing weapon! Dodge it!" Usopp whispered behind him.

"At the count of 'one, two, Jango' you'll get sleepy. Ready? One, two..."

"HIDE! He's gonna kill us!" Usopp cried out, flinging himself to the ground to cover his head. Luffy remained staring at the chakram curiously.

"...Jango!"

Luffy slumped over at the same time Jango did. Kuro glared at the hypnotist. "Hey! Wake up, Jango! Have you still not fixed that habit yet?!"

At the same time, Luffy continued to fall forward and plummeted off the cliff, hitting the ground with a loud thud. Usopp stared down in horror. Jango woke up and shook his head to clear away any lingering sleepiness. "Ah, head-first. I didn't _mean_ to kill him, but he couldn't have survived from that height."

"Damnit! He killed him!" Usopp said in disbelief. "That bastard!"

"What about the other one? Shall I take care of him?" Jango asked.

Kuro smirked. "No need. No matter what he does, it won't matter." Usopp's jaw dropped at the statement but Kuro continued. "Tomorrow morning, Jango. Attack the village at daybreak. Tear up the villagers' homes a good amount and make certain Miss Kaya's murder looks like an accident!"

"Tomorrow!" Usopp whispered, trembling violently. Kuro's smirk grew as he stared up at him.

"You heard me, Usopp-kun," Kuro said sarcastically. "There's nothing you can do to stop my plan."

"Damnit!" Usopp yelled as he stumbled up and ran for the village.

* * *

Emiko was leaning against the fence after waking up the three kids, just staring up at the clouds absently. Carrot was looking around in slight concern. "Captain's been gone a long time..."

"Luffy, too," Zoro said casually.

"It was a big shock for him," Onion said.

"He always watches the sea from the shore when he's feeling down!"

Suddenly, Carrot gasped in shock and the other two kids crowded around him to stare down the road. They spotted Usopp running full speed at them. Nami tilted her head in confusion while Zoro raised an eyebrow.

"Wasn't Luffy with him?" Zoro asked.

Emiko sighed. "Knowing Luffy, he got himself into some sort of trouble. Usopp looks very concerned as well. Something probably happened." She paused for a second. "Actually, not probably. Most definitely."

Usopp booked it straight past them without even muttering a single word. "Where's Luffy? Wasn't he at the shore with..." Nami started to ask but stopped as Usopp continued on. "Is he still mad about his dad being insulted?"

"Who knows..." Zoro said, a frown on his face. Emiko tapped his arm and he glanced at her.

"We should go look for Luffy," she said firmly. Zoro nodded in agreement and looked at the three kids, who were still staring after Usopp in confusion.

"Hey, take us to where Usopp usually goes."

The kids ignored him, huddled around as they furiously discussed Usopp's reaction. "Doesn't this smell like an incident? Something must have happened at the shore!"

Zoro rolled his eyes in irritation. "All right, already! How do we get there?!"

The kids jumped and immediately took the three to the shore.

* * *

"This is the place!"

Nami, Zoro and Emiko looked around the area that the kids had taken them too for signs of their wayward captain. Emiko, knowing he was at the bottom of the cliff, decided to just cut straight to it and peered over the cliff cautiously.

"I think I found him," she said, pointing down.

Zoro walked over to her and let out an exasperated sigh at the sight of Luffy laying on the shore. Nami and the kids immediately started to panic and the group swiftly made their way down. Once they reached Luffy, Nami let out a gasp.

"Luffy! How did this happen!?"

Emiko picked up his hat and brushed off some of the sand. "At least his hat didn't blow away," she said.

"How can you be so calm! Luffy is dead!" Nami shrieked. Emiko gave her a flat look.

"No, he's not."

Zoro cocked his head to the side and let out an amused huff. "This guy..." He poked Luffy hard with one of his sheathed katanas, causing him to twitch. Nami and the kids cried out in alarm. Luffy sat up with a loud yawn, sand flying everywhere. He looked at everyone with a grin.

"Morning!"

"WHAT THE HELL!" Nami yelled out, teeth sharp.

Emiko laughed and held out the hat. "Here. It didn't blow away, surprisingly enough."

"Thanks!" Luffy said, grabbing it and putting it on his head with a grin. His grin fell suddenly as he remembered the conversation from before. He quickly detailed out what Kuro and Jango had planned.

"Ehhh!? They're gonna kill Kaya-san?!" The three kids cried out in alarm. "Are they really going to attack the village!?"

Luffy nodded. "Yeah, that's what they said. No question about it."

Zoro nudged Luffy with his foot. "So what were you sleeping down here for?"

"That's the thing!" Luffy said, looking up at him with a grin. "I _thought_ I was up on the cliff... So how'd I get down here?"

"You didn't by any chance look at a small disc on a string, held by a weird guy in a purple coat?" Emiko asked dryly.

Luffy smacked his fist on his palm. "That's right! That weird guy!" He looked up at Emiko in confusion. "What about him?"

Emiko sighed. "He's a hypnotist. A rather crappy one since he can't seem to not hypnotize himself as well. Just... Don't look at the chakram next time."

Luffy nodded and stood up. The kids and Nami were chatting about the situation with the attack before the kids all yelled and ran away. Zoro, Luffy and Emiko glanced back to watch them rush away. Emiko tapped her foot. "I doubt the villagers will take Usopp seriously," she said grimly.

The other three looked at her. "Why not?" Nami asked.

Emiko wrinkled her nose. "He goes around screaming to the villagers that they are being attacked, right? He does this every day and they've learned to just ignore him since he always makes it up. Guaranteed, they'll just ignore this as well. It doesn't matter how much he begs them to listen, they'll just chase him away."

Zoro nodded grimly. "That's probably true."

Luffy gasped suddenly. "Oh no!"

"What is it?" Zoro asked.

"We need to stock up on food before the meat shop guy runs away!"

Zoro rolled his eyes and smacked Luffy on the back of the head with his katana again. "That's not the issue at hand here."

Luffy plopped onto the ground again, his hat rolling away. Emiko sighed, an action that was rapidly becoming a bad habit, and picked it up once more. She put it on his head and helped him up. "Let's go find Usopp. We'll need to figure something out if we're going to help the village."

Luffy nodded and Zoro scowled as the pair started to walk back. Nami glanced at Zoro and shrugged. "I don't get why he listens to her either." Zoro muttered under his breath and the two followed.

* * *

The foursome were walking down the path as they came up to the three kids, who were excitedly yelling at Usopp. Usopp waved cheerfully back as they rushed to him.

"Yo!" Luffy said with a grin.

Usopp stared at him in shock before running up to him. "You're alive?!"

"Alive? Yeah, I just woke up!" Luffy said.

"This guy was asleep the whole time!" Carrot said. "Anyway, Captain! We heard everything!"

"Let's hurry and tell everyone about the pirates!" Onion said, waving his arms around.

Usopp's face fell. "Tell everyone?" He stared at the ground for a moment before looking up and laughing. The three kids looked at him in confusion. "I'm lying like usual, obviously! That damn butler pissed me off, so I decided to claim he was a pirate!"

Nami, Luffy, Zoro and Emiko all stared at the scene silently as the kids laughed. The three started to walk away before turning back to Usopp, saying how they were disappointed in him for telling such a lie to hurt someone else. Usopp frowned at them as they walked away as Emiko approached him and tapped his shoulder. He looked at her, startled at her sudden appearance.

"Let me take a look at your arm," she said, pointing at the arm he was holding slightly behind his back.

"My arm...?" He said, looking down at it. She nodded and they all walked back to the shore quietly. Once there, she made him sit down so she could clean the cut and bandage it with a few bandages she kept on hand. Usopp grimaced in pain as she finished applying the bandage.

"There. You're good. It's a relatively small cut so it'll be fine in a day or two," she said, putting away the remaining bandages.

"Why did you tell them that?" Luffy asked without hesitation.

Usopp stared at his bandaged arm morosely. "Because I'm a liar. They were never going to believe me from the start. I was too optimistic."

"Even so, the truth is the truth," Zoro said.

"That may be but in this instance, the people here are so numb to his words that they would never bother to really look at him. You only have to look into his eyes to know he is very serious about this," Emiko said bluntly.

Nami tilted her head. "Pirates really are going to come, aren't they?"

Usopp stared at Emiko. "Yeah. They're definitely going to show up," he said grimly. "But everyone thinks it's a lie. They think tomorrow wlll be just another normal, peaceful day..." He grit his teeth and glared out at the sea. "That's why I'm going to stop the pirates at the beach tomorrow and make sure this stays a lie! That's the only logical thing for a liar like me to do!" The four pirates stared at him silently. "Even if I get shot in the arm, even if I'm driven off with brooms, this is my village! I love this village! I want to protect everyone!" Tears streamed down his face as he declared his intentions.

Zoro shifted his grip on his katana. "You're one hell of a nice guy, pushing your henchman away and going into battle alone!"

"Just so you know, I have dibs on all of the treasure," Nami said with a stern look on her face.

Luffy rubbed his shoulder, flexing his hand. "Yosh! We'll help you out!"

"Ooh things are going to get exciting again!" Emiko said, clapping her hands in glee.

Usopp wiped away his tears in surprise. "You guys... Are going to fight with me?! Why!?"

"There's a whole bunch of bad guys, right?" Luffy asked.

"Scared is written all over your face," Zoro said dryly.

"M-Me? Scared?!" Usopp cried out. "I'm perfectly okay with lots of bad guys or whatever! Because I'm Captain Usopp, brave warrior of the sea!" His legs shook violently.

Emiko pointed at his legs with a raised brow. "Your legs are shaking." He started hitting his legs in aggravation.

"This isn't a show! These are Klahadore's pirates we're talking about! Of course I'm scared! What's wrong with that!? I don't want your sympathy! You guys can leave! Leave!" Usopp cried out.

"We ain't laughing! We're helping because we think you're honorable!" Zoro said with a slight glare.

"As if we'd risk our lives because of sympathy!" Luffy said fiercely.

"Fighting for what you believe in and to protect those you care about... There aren't enough people like that. To let you do this alone would be such a waste," Emiko said, twirling her dagger in her hand.

Usopp stared at them in awe, tears streaming down his face again. "You guys..."

Emiko sheathed her dagger and rubbed her hands together. "Let's get to work!"


	9. Chapter 9

Butchie grabbed Jango's ankle and looked up at him weakly. "I-I'll... Slaughter him...C-Captain... H-Hypnotize me, please!" Jango silently knelt down and held the chakram out in front of Butchie. Emiko let out an annoyed huff and turned to look back at Luffy who was still snoozing away.

"This will be troublesome unless I wake up that idiot," she murmured. She looked back at Butchie who had fully hulked out and was stomping menacingly towards Zoro. "Oi! Zoro! I suggest you dodge."

"Yeah, thanks, like I didn't already know that," Zoro said sarcastically. She smirked slightly before turning and running towards Luffy as fast as she could. As her feet hit the ground, she could feel more blood soaking into her shirt. The blood loss was steadily creeping up on her which was irritating.

"What is that crafty girl up to?" Jango drawled. He turned around and started spinning his chakram. He flung his arm and the chakram towards her. "DIE!"

"Luffy! Get up NOW!" She yelled, kicking him in the face.

"Emiko! Look out!" Zoro shouted in a panic.

Emiko didn't even bother turning around as Luffy woke up abruptly and grabbed her ankle, yanking her down with a sharp tug. She let out a yelp as she started to fall and Luffy stood up, awake and furious.

"Emiko! What's the big idea!?" He yelled at her before taking the chakram straight to his face. Emiko's eyes widened in surprise and Zoro planted two of his swords in the ground.

"I can't tell if he has bad or good timing..." Zoro said wryly.

Emiko hit the sand and let out a soft yelp. She looked up at Luffy with a raised brow. "You all right, Luffy?"

He whipped his head up and the chakram shattered in his teeth, causing Emiko to let out a laugh. Luffy tapped the side of his mouth with a finger where the chakram had given him a cut. "OOOUCH!" He howled, holding his face. He stopped and looked down at Emiko. "Emiko! That really hurts! Why'd you do that?!"

"Why the hell do you think _I_ did that?! Big jerk! After I go through all that trouble..." Emiko murmured before letting herself fall back into the sand with a sigh. The blood loss from the cut on her shoulder was finally catching up to her a bit, now that her adrenaline was slowly dissipating. Luffy's anger instantly melted as he looked at her with deep concern.

"Emiko! What happened?! Who hurt you?!" He asked in a rush.

"I'll be fine once I get it patched up. Just some blood loss. We can't afford to lose this fight, Luffy. Too many people need us to live through this," Emiko said softly. Luffy nodded in agreement, his eyes looking at her blood soaked shoulder in growing anger. He grabbed his hat and put it on his head.

"Don't worry, Emiko. I won't let anyone else hurt you," Luffy murmured as he walked away. The pirates in front of Luffy scrambled in a panic, unsure where they should go as they feared Luffy and Kuro on many levels. Luffy's eyes were covered by his hat as he calmly marched through the crowd.

"Butchie! There's no time to think! Kill that haramaki bastard and I'll handle this weird kid," Jango instructed. Luffy stopped and looked at Jango. "I'll kill Straw-Hat!"

Luffy frowned. "Which one of you hurt my nakama?"

Kuro frowned as he looked at Luffy. He moved to attack but froze as he heard someone coming up from behind him. He spun around to attack the person just as Usopp tackled Kaya to the ground. Kuro stood up, momentarily shocked to see Kaya there but the shock disappeared from his face as quickly as it had come. Kaya muttered apologies to Usopp who tried to convince her to run away, but she declined. She screamed at Kuro to stop the attack in exchange for her fortune. Kuro went on to explain that he would take her money and kill everyone for his own peace of mind.

Kaya drew a pistol on him, her hand shaking violently. Kuro approached her, reminding her of all the times they spent together. He pulled the gun from her hand as she cried, telling her how he bent his own nature to coddle to a snot nosed brat. Usopp glared up at him furiously.

"Damn you..." Usopp spat, trembling with rage.

"Do you understand these daily insults? Do you understand this man once known as Captain Kuro!?" Kuro shouted out.

Luffy's jaw clenched as Kuro spout his nonsense. Usopp took the moment to grab the gun and stand up. "KURO!" He shot the gun, but Kuro slipped away behind Usopp, holding his bladed fingers up to Usopp's head.

"Come to think of it..." Kuro said smugly. "I still owe you for hitting me... You hit me with all your might, as I recall."

Usopp trembled with fear until he noticed a fist flying in his direction. He let out a gasp as the fist sailed past him and hit Kuro square in the face. Kuro flew backwards with a cry and hit the dirt. Luffy pulled back his arm with a grin. "If you hate getting hit that much, I got a hundred more punches for you!" Luffy called out.

Emiko let out a quiet laugh. Despite being unable to see what was going on, she could already imagine the look on Luffy's face as he hit Kuro. Everyone else displayed varying degrees of shock from Luffy's attack. Luffy cracked his knuckles ominously as Emiko slowly sat up against the broken bow of the ship. She watched as Nami crept by the majority of the pirates and headed for the ships, most likely looking for treasure. Suddenly the three kids popped out of nowhere and started wailing on Kuro's face with various items, ignoring Usopp's screams at them to stop and run. After they stopped, they declared that they wouldn't run away in fear but froze when Kuro stood up and glared at them darkly.

Kuro walked up to Usopp and kicked him hard, sending him flying. Kuro turned his gaze towards Luffy. "That hurt a bit. That's quite a strange technique you have there... I take it you have Devil Fruit powers?"

Luffy smirked. "Yeah. I ate the Gomu Gomu no Mi! I'm a rubber person!"

The pirates all started to freak out. Jango stared in growing understanding. "I see! So I didn't hallucinate his arms stretching."

"JANGO!" Kuro growled.

"Huh?"

"I'll handle the boy. You take care of Miss Kaya. As we planned, have her write a will... Then kill her! And those three little ants... They're an eyesore!"

"I'm on it," Jango replied, walking up the slope. He stopped as Zoro held out a sword in front of him.

"Stop. I can't let you pass."

"Butchie!" Jango yelled.

Butchie screamed and shot up into the air. He started to fall and Zoro dodged the attack. Instead of just making a small dent in the ground, this attack caused a mild earthquake that caused the pirates to be covered in rocks. Usopp groaned as he was tossed around by rocks. Zoro froze inside the dust, tense and waiting. Butchie's hand appeared and he brought up his sword to block it, only to be slammed into the cliffside. His arm trembled with the effort of trying to keep Butchie from taking his head off. Jango took the time caused by the distraction to continue walking up the hill towards Kaya.

"Usopp Pirates!" Usopp cried out.

The kids froze for a moment before responding together. "Yes, sir!"

"Listen to me!"

"We're not gonna run!" Carrot said stubbornly.

"Protect Kaya," Usopp said. The kids remained silent. "Listen closely! I'm giving you the most important task there is now! Take Kaya and get away from here! Don't tell me you can't! That was the reason we formed our pirate group: to become men who protect what's important to us! That's... A direct order."

The kids jumped up and rushed to Kaya, who was still in a catatonic state from Kuro's jabs and Usopp's injuries. They pushed her into the forest and took off.

"Jango!" Kuro snapped out.

"Ah! I wound up gawking!" Jango said in alarm. "The fools! They can't possibly escape me..." He stopped his speech with a cry a pain, a slingshot ball buried in his back. Usopp had pulled out his slingshot and hit the hypnotist.

"How'd you like that?!" Usopp said, coughing lightly.

"Damn you!" Jango snarled, turning to attack the sniper.

"Go after them, you fool!" Kuro yelled at him. Jango tensed in fear.

"Y-Yes, okay!" Jango ran off after Kaya and kids. Luffy was calmly walking up the slope towards Zoro and Butchie. Kuro scoffed lightly, adjusting his broken glasses and flexing his hands, making the blades slide against each other audibly.

"How pointless. I know very well just how weak Kaya is. She'll never escape Jango. If you want to help her, go right ahead. If you can get past this hill alive, that is."

Luffy continued to climb up the slope, his face expressionless. Zoro was still holding back Butchie. "You already lost to me once! I told you not to get in my way! MOVE!" Zoro yelled and smashed his foot into Butchie's chin. He whipped out his two other weapons and slashed at Butchie. Butchie gasped and spat up blood as he fell to the ground. Usopp pushed himself up slowly and looked at the forest in horror at the sound of a gun.

"W-What was that sound?!"

"Who knows? Jango is probably tearing the place up. Why not go and see for yourself? Though it may already be too late," Kuro said flippantly.

"Damn you! Don't you even have a shred of pity?! You lived with her for 3 years!"

"No, I already told you, Kaya is nothing more than a pawn in my plan. Once she's dead, _then_ I'll express some gratitude."

"Damn you..."

Zoro glared at Kuro. "What an evil bastard."

"I don't plan to help him, though," Luffy declared. "Usopp! Go to them! We'll take over here!"

"Leave it to us," Zoro said with a grin.

Usopp slowly pushed himself to his feet, his entire body trembling with the effort. Everyone watched in silence as he gasped and panted but finally stood.

"Oh? You can still move? How impressive," Kuro remarked.

"Shut up! I refuse to let you... Have your way! You went and betrayed the villagers', Kayas, feelings... I refuse to let you have your way anymore!" He rasped out. Unfortunately, he was unable to continue to stand and he fell the ground with a gasp. "Damnit..."

Kuro began to laugh. "You really are a riot! I betrayed them, you say?! Cut the crap! This was all part of the plan! A kiddie pirate captain like you has no place to talk as if you know anything! Just stay on the ground there. Though, even if you did catch up with Jango, you'd be no match for him anyway. This way is probably safest for you!"

"Even if I _am_ no match..." Usopp muttered. "I _will_ protect them! I am captain of the Usopp Pirates and a brave warrior of the sea! I won't let you lay a finger on the village!" Usopp's yell echoed through the area so every pirates could hear. Emiko smiled as she heard the cry.

"Proud Usopp, indeed," she murmured.

Luffy and Zoro stared at Usopp silently as the pirates below started chattering amongst themselves before they all started laughing. Emiko scowled and silently wished she still had a few throwing knives. More than a few of these pirates deserved a slit throat and a trip to hell. She looked over at the pirates and smirked as she saw Luffy turn, rip a huge rock up and slam it into the laughing pirates. He stood on top of the rock, his face furious. "What's so funny!?"

The pirates all turned pale in fear, a few actually threw up from the panic much to Emiko's delight. Zoro picked up Usopp and glanced at Luffy. "Luffy! Me and Usopp are gonna chase that hypno-freak! That a problem?"

"Nope! Hurry!" Luffy shouted back.

Emiko let out a sigh and stood up. The bleeding had slowed a bit but she was still feeling slightly lightheaded. She looked up a Luffy, her head tilted to the side in silent question as she pulled out her dagger. Luffy gave a barely noticeable shake of his head and she nodded in understanding. Sheathing the dagger again, she leaned against the bow of the ship with her arms crossed. At least she'd have a front row seat to Luffy utterly destroying these assholes.

As Zoro passed Kuro with Usopp over his shoulder, Kuro spoke. "Hold it, you two. Who gave you permission to pass this hill?"

"I DID!" Luffy yelled out, his hand rocketing towards Kuro who dodged it. "Go! Zoro! Usopp!" He let himself be carried along with his arm "And another!" He punched at Kuro with his other fist but Kuro vanished. Luffy caught himself as he landed and ducked as Kuro slashed at him from behind. He balanced on his arms and pulled his legs together. "Gomu Gomu... Spear!" His legs stretched at Kuro who disappeared yet again. "Damn! He disappeared again! Oh well! They're past the hill, at least!"

Kuro appeared in front of Luffy, eyeing him critically. "Before fighting, I have one thing to ask you. Why is an outsider like you butting into this village's business!?"

Luffy smirked. "Because there's a man in this village that I don't wanna let die!"

"How simple. Are you okay with that being why _you_ die?"

"Yep! I'm not gonna die, though!" Luffy said.

"I'll make sure you do!"

Luffy reached out and grabbed Kuro's shoulders, following with his body so he could kick the man in the chest. Kuro twisted his body and slammed Luffy's face into the ground. In retaliation, Luffy continued to spin, releasing Kuro and lashing out with his leg which Kuro dodged by leaping up into the air. Luffy followed it with a pistol at Kuro's head. Kuro jumped up again and landed on Luffy's outstretched arm, crossing his own arms casually.

"You're making me yawn!" Kuro said in amusement. Luffy grit his teeth and Kuro ran at Luffy, hitting him hard in the face. Luffy wiped at the cut on his face with a scowl. The pirates at the bottom of the slope began to cheer for Kuro enthusiastically. Kuro glared down at them. "Do not call me by that name! Do you still not get it?! This plan is so I can be completely rid of the name 'Captain Kuro'! I'm tired. Devising plans every day for you men who only care about mayhem. Being relentlessly attacked by government dogs and bounty hunters... I was absolutely sick of it all! I planned out every second of my death. Jango hypnotized the nameless marine that 'captured' the infamous 'Captain Kuro' and when my plan today succeeds, my goal will be full achieved. Money and peace of mind will be mine! Do you understand, boy? I cannot allow this plan of three years to fail! My plan will _not_ be disrupted!"

Kuro ran at Luffy who bent backwards and grabbed the giant rock, hefting it in front of him just as Kuro's hand reached forward. Kuro's face twisted into something ugly. "Seems you can do more than just stretch!" His blades were buried in the stone.

"That's right! I've toughened myself up to be a pirate!" Luffy said. He smashed the rock and threw it aside, breaking Kuro's blades in the process. Luffy looked at him with a grin. "You're 'tired'? You're not fit to be a pirate if having a name on the seas scares you!" He slammed the rock into Kuro. "My ambition is much greater than yours!" Luffy's voice echoed much like Usopp's had earlier, several birds fleeing from the sudden noise. Emiko let out a chuckle.

"Things are getting so interesting. I'm glad I stuck around. This is way better than watching it second hand," she said. She watched in interest as the pirates all started to panic again. She rolled her eyes. "You'd think they'd have figured out by now that Luffy is not just going to roll over."

Luffy grinned as Kuro twitched in pain. "That leaves only five more of those weird swords!"

The pirates started cheering again as Kuro slowly stood up. "Be quiet!" The pirates froze. "I'll come exterminate every one of you later... Jango too, of course!"

"Why us!?" One of the pirates asked fearfully.

"Isn't it obvious?" Emiko asked, her irritation evident in her tone. A few of the pirates turned around and looked at her in surprise having forgotten about her entirely. "He can't leave anyone alive that knows him as Captain Kuro, otherwise there's a chance the Marines will come storming after him again. Am I right?"

"Oooh. It seems one of you has a brain. The girl is correct. I never intended to let you leave this village from the start. I can't have people who know I exist stay alive. I think I'll kill the girl last, since she was smart enough to figure it out."

"Y-You can't be serious!" One of the pirates stuttered.

"You guys are so dumb! You're such an uncool pirate group! And don't even think about touching my nakama," Luffy said.

"Uncool? Pirate groups are nothing more than a collection of social outcasts! Without plans, what can they possibly do!? Every last one should just shut up and follow my plans! Crew members are loyal pawns of the captain! Whether my men live or die is all up to my orders as their leader! No matter how powerful the obstacle, they simply need to stand up to it and die for my plan," Kuro said, glancing at Luffy after he finished his speech. Luffy merely looked at him with an expressionless face.

Emiko let out snort of disbelief. "And that, right there is why you'll totally lose this fight. I think the one who doesn't get it is you. See, I'm definitely loyal to Luffy and I would do anything he asked me to do. But Luffy would never ask me to forsake my life for him. No, see, he'd ask me to forsake my life for what I believe in. For what I deem worthy to fight for." She stared at Kuro, her eyes lit with an internal fire. "You aren't a pirate. You're a coward wearing a pirate's hat and I'm going to enjoy every second of _my_ captain kicking your ass."

Luffy hadn't moved an inch physically at Emiko's words. Kuro, however, was visibly shaking with rage. "How dare you talk down to me, you stupid girl! I was going to do you a courtesy and kill you fast but now, I'll kill you slowly. I'll enjoy hearing you screaming and begging for me to end your miserable little life."

"You won't lay a hand on her," Luffy said casually. "Besides, no matter how many hundreds or thousands of men follow you as their captain... You'll never be better than Usopp!"

The pirates all gasped. "What?!" Kuro asked. "You're saying I'm inferior to a kid pretending to be a pirate captain?!"

"That's right!"

Kuro burst into laughter. "You and your little girlfriend are hilarious! Don't get cocky just because you snapped one of my claws! How exactly is he better than me?! Let's hear it!" Kuro used his astonishing speed to vanish. Luffy just smiled.

"Character."

Kuro appeared behind Luffy in a flash. "What?!"

"He's super dense," Emiko said offhand. A couple of pirates jumped in alarm as she was now standing in the middle of the group.

"W-When did she move?" One pirate whispered loudly.

"I don't know!"

Emiko ignored them and watched Luffy crouch down. "Emiko is right. You don't know what a true pirate is!" He planted his foot firmly and whipped his arm back in an arc, hitting Kuro into the cliff. He pulled his arm back and flipped over, landing again.

"How insulting. If you want to know about real pirates that much, then I'll show you that terror. The terror of a pirate who's been face-to-face with death many times!" Kuro let his arms hang and began to sway from side to side.

Emiko tensed and pulled out her dagger. The pirates around started to lose their minds with fear, stating that they were going to get caught up in the attack. They began to beg for their lives and Luffy frowned as he surveyed the pirates that were crying out in fear. He locked eyes with Emiko who stared back at him, her dagger clenched firmly in her hand. His own eyes narrowed at his nakama's posture and he could feel his own body tensing in reaction. What felt like a gust of wind blew past him and his eyes widened slightly as he looked back at Kuro. Kuro vanished in the blink of an eye. Emiko took a deep breath and let her eyes close in preparation. Watching for Kuro would be useless so she'd have to rely on other senses to give her enough time to dodge his attacks. One of the pirates in the group was sliced on his chest and was dead before he hit the ground.

Luffy stared at the pirates in shock. "EMIKO! Get out of there!" He yelled, fear pulsing through his veins for his nakama.

Emiko exhaled and dropped to the ground, rolling to the side. She ignored the pain in her shoulder and continued to keep her eyes closed. She could feel him rush by, slicing the other pirates. She rolled again as slash marks appeared in the ground where she'd been crouching. More and more pirates were falling to the ground, giant slash marks across the bodies and Emiko just kept moving. Luffy was getting angrier and angrier as more pirates fell. He watched as Emiko continued to dodge the attacks but he could tell she was slowing down. The slash marks were appearing faster every time she dodged. Finally, her blood loss caught up to her and she dodged a second too late. Kuro's claws swiped at her side and her eyes snapped open with a soundless gasp. The sight of her injury pushed Luffy over the edge.

"Who do you take your friends for!?" Luffy screamed. Emiko collapsed onto the ground and pressed her hand against her bleeding side. Slash marks appeared around Luffy randomly until he was attacked on his side which had been precisely what he was waiting for. He reached out with his arm, grabbed Kuro's coat and slammed him into the ground furiously. He grinned triumphantly. "Found you!"

Kuro stood up, bleeding from his head but grinning. "Bastard! You should've just let yourself be cut like a good boy! Look! Thanks to you, many of my adorable men are left alive and in agony. Even your little girlfriend is in a fair bit of pain. It would have been better for them to die in that attack!"

Luffy stared at Kuro silently. Kuro eyed him. "Now what? You look like you have something to say..."

"Yeah... I will _never_ be...a man like you. And I believe I told you, not to hurt my nakama," Luffy said softly, his eyes covered by his hair.

"Not 'will.'" Kuro said viciously, pointing his claws directly at Luffy's face. "Someone like you _can't_ be like me!"

"And thank goodness for that," Emiko said, pressing her arm to her side to stem the bleeding. Kuro glared at her darkly and the corner of Luffy's mouth twitched upward.

Kuro bared his teeth at her angrily before walking backwards away from Luffy. "It doesn't matter. Especially since you're going to die here, while you writhe in agony as I hack you up like raw fish. I'm going to painstakingly carve you up as a special treat!" He began to sway again and Luffy rushed him. Kuro vanished again and Luffy spun around, his eyes wide. Kuro's attacks started up again and Luffy glared down the slope. He leaned back suddenly as Kuro appeared in front of him, slashing downward. Kuro smirked and vanished again, popping back into view behind Luffy.

"Tired?" Luffy asked casually. "That attack _does_ have a lot of unnecessary movement."

"Don't get cocky. Everything so far has been child's play. _You_ and your little girlfriend are going to get special treatment. I think I'll peel the flesh from her bones as you watch. Then, just as she's about to die, I'll make sure she watches your own life drain away. The last thing she'll see is your dead eyes." Kuro vanished again, running up and down the cliff walls. Luffy's arms stretched out to grab him, his left hand missing but his right arm successfully grabbing his ankle.

"Say... Girl... Your captain... Can he, actually beat Kuro?" One of the pirates asked Emiko softly.

Emiko grinned as she watched the dust around Luffy and Kuro start to settle. "Absolutely."

Once the dust had cleared, they could see Luffy wrapped around Kuro's torso like a leech. Luffy grinned at Kuro cheekily. "Just try your foot technique now!"

"Damn you! Get away from me!" Kuro said, trying to shake him off.

"Now your plan of three years is a complete failure!"

"What!?"

The pirates started to realize that with Kuro defeated they wouldn't die so they began to cheer Luffy on. Luffy headbutted Kuro harshly. "You guys have no right to cheer me on!" His neck stretched and he glared at the pirates upside down. Emiko pressed her fingers to her lips to prevent a giggle from escaping. She winked at Luffy who grinned. "Gomu Gomu..."

"My plan will _not_ be disrupted!" Kuro spat.

"...Bell..."

Luffy's head crashed into Kuro's face, the force of the blow sending both of them flying. Kuro fell to the ground completely unconscious from the blow. Luffy stood up and stared down at the pirate.

"He... Really beat him! Kuro, the man that not even the Marines could touch! Just who are you!?"

Luffy turned slightly. "Monkey D. Luffy. I'd never lose to a pirate who ditches his name and runs from the sea. The only time a pirate should abandon his name is when he dies!"

Emiko chuckled and walked up the slope, bending down to pick up Luffy's hat, brushing off the dust that had gathered on it. "We're the Straw Hat Pirates. Remember that and his name for the rest of your lives." She handed Luffy his hat which he took, eyeing her up and down critically. He turned back to the pirates and grinned.

"I'm the man who's gonna be the Pirate King!" Luffy shouted. He grabbed Kuro by the collar and heaved him at the pirates. "Take him and leave! Never come here again!" Emiko watched calmly as the pirates fled, spotting Nami coming up the hill. Luffy hadn't moved and with a soft sigh, she reached over and let him fall against her uninjured shoulder.

"You did well, Luffy," she said against his hair. His arms snaked around her waist while avoiding her injury, leaning his weight against her. She let out a small squeak as the unexpected weight knocked her off balance and the pair fell to the ground. Luffy twisted and cushioned her fall with his body, hitting the ground with a soft 'oomph'. Emiko looked up at him in concern but Luffy merely laid on the ground, one arm still around her while the other was on the ground. Nami came up to the pair, a sack of treasure in hand.

"I'd expect even you to collapse after all you just went through. Say," Nami said, sitting down next to them. "What were you mad about earlier?"

His arm tightened around Emiko who laid her head back down on her chest tiredly. "I hate them. They're wrong. They hurt my nakama. That's _not_ how friends should act."

Nami eyed the arm that was around Emiko, her lips twitching. "Of course it's not. Pirates aren't the lovely things you make them out to be. I'd say Captain Kuro's more standard than you."

Luffy's eyes shifted to look at Nami briefly, a frown on his face. He looked away and back up at the sky. "I want some meat."

"Me too," Emiko yawned, nuzzling her face in Luffy's chest subconsciously.

Nami picked up Luffy's hat and shoved it on his face violently. "You're unbelievable!"

* * *

Zoro walked back in the direction of the slope that Luffy and Kuro were battling on, a smile on his face. Usopp was able to prove himself quite admirably by taking out Jango. As he exited the forest, his raised a brow at the sight of Luffy and Emiko bleeding all over each other but looking unwilling to move and Nami hugging a giant sack which he assumed was treasure.

"I see this went well," he said dryly.

Luffy tilted his head and peered up at Zoro. "Oh! Zoro! The girl and the kids are all right then?"

"Yeah, Usopp took care of the hypno-freak."

"Ah! Good!" Luffy said with a grin.

Zoro sat down against the cliff and waved a hand at Emiko. "She okay?"

Luffy looked down at the lightly sleeping girl. "Yeah, just tired."

Zoro glanced at Nami who shrugged. Hearing someone approach, he looked up the hill to see Usopp walking towards them.

"Hey! I just wanted to thank you guys. I wouldn't have been able to protect the village without you guys!"

"What're you talkin' about?" Zoro asked with a grin. "If you hadn't done anything, _I_ would've done nothing!"

"Me too!" Luffy stated cheerfully.

"I don't like sticking my nose into things, usually," Emiko murmured.

"Oh, I thought you were asleep," Luffy said, peering down at her. With a small shake of her head, she pushed herself up, ignoring the hand that lingered on her hip. Sitting up, she stretched a bit and blinked sleepily at Nami who was hugging her treasure.

"Who cares about all that? I got me some treasure!" Nami cooed.

Usopp laughed a bit before looking out at the ocean with a serious expression on his face. "This incident has helped me finally come to a decision."

Luffy looked away from Emiko and peered up at Usopp curiously. Usopp stared at the ground for a moment. "I have some things I have to do. Thank you again," Usopp turned and walked towards the forest.

Emiko finally stood up and brushed off her pants, holding out a hand to Luffy to help him up. "Let's go get something to eat." The movement brought her attention back to her injuries which she glanced at with a frown. "And some bandages."

"MEAT!" Luffy said as his arms shot into the air in excitement. Zoro laughed as Emiko lead them all back to the village.

* * *

Luffy swallowed the last bite of meat from his plate and sighed happily. Zoro had also settled contently in his seat after eating his fill. "Well, we've eaten. We should get going now," he said.

Luffy nodded. "Yep!" He glanced up as the door to the restaurant opened and Kaya walked in. "Hey, Miss!"

"Here you are!" Kaya said happily. Nami looked around the booth.

"Are you all right, being out of bed?"

"Yes," Kaya said with a smile. She stopped at their booth and folded her hands. "My sickness this past year was caused by the mental dismay from having lost my parents. And Usopp-san really cheered me up, too. I can't stay coddled forever!" Nami and Zoro both smiled at the girl. "You've done so much for me. Thank you." Kaya bowed to the pirates. "I've prepared a present for you from the bottom of my heart! Please accept it!"

Luffy looked at her blankly before shrugging. He stood up from the booth and gestured for the others to do the same. They followed Kaya out of the restaurant and to the beach. Once there, they saw Merry standing in front of a ship. Nami clapped her hands excitedly.

"A caravel!"

Luffy and Zoro both made awestruck noises while Emiko smiled softly. She looked over at Kaya. "Thank you, Kaya. We'll treat her well."

"Can we really have this!?" Luffy asked, his inner child shining through.

"Yes, please use it!" Kaya said, tilting her head with a smile. Merry smiled at the ship proudly.

"It's a slightly older model, but I personally designed it! I call her... the Going Merry!" He turned and looked at the pirates expectantly. "Let me explain the running rigging! First, about the Kruger net yard adjustment-" Nami jumped up and waved her arms at Merry.

"No, no! You can explain the ship stuff to me!" Merry looked at her in surprise but nodded hesitantly. The two walked to the ship, Nami listening attentively as Merry explained how everything worked.

Luffy looked up at the Going Merry in awe. "What a good ship! Especially this front. It's so cool!"

Kaya smiled at the excited captain. "We've loaded it with everything you might need on a voyage."

"Thanks! It leaves nothing to beat tired!" Luffy said happily. Zoro looked over at him with a scowl.

"That's 'leaves nothing to be desired,' you idiot," Zoro muttered. Emiko snickered in amusement. They all looked up in surprise at the sound of someone yelling. They watched as what looked like Usopp rolling on an overly large backpack down the slope towards the ship. Kaya gasped.

"Usopp-san!"

Luffy rubbed his head. "What's he doing?" he asked in confusion.

"Let's just stop him for now. He's on a collision course with the ship," Zoro said, his arms crossed in irritation. He and Luffy both lifted a leg and stopped Usopp abruptly.

"T-Thanks..." Usopp muttered from underneath their shoes.

"Sure thing," Luffy said.

Usopp pulled himself away from his giant bag and Kaya pulled him aside to talk. The other four wandered onto the ship and watched Usopp and Kaya's conversation. After a few minutes, Usopp looked up at them. "You guys take care too! Let's meet again sometime!"

Luffy tilted his head to the side as he leaned against the railing. "How come?"

"Huh? 'How come'? Man, you're so antisocial," Usopp said in exasperation. "I'm gonna be a pirate too, so we'll meet on the high seas eventually!"

Zoro rolled his eyes. "What are you talking about? Get on already."

"Eh!?"

"Did you think we'd just leave you here?" Emiko asked, an eyebrow raised.

Luffy looked at him with a small pout. "We're friends now, aren't we?"

Usopp stared at them with his jaw dropped in shock. They all smiled at him and his shocked stare slowly turned into a grin.

"I... I get to be captain, right?!" He said, jumping into the air excitedly.

Luffy half jumped onto the railing to yell at Usopp. "Don't be dumb! _I'm_ the captain!"

Zoro, Emiko, and Nami laughed as the two argued about who was or wasn't the captain. Once they'd settled down, Usopp joined them on the Going Merry and they set sail. Usopp waved at Kaya as the island slowly grew distant and they went further out to sea. Nami shouted instructions at them and they obeyed without question. Once they were cruising at a steady speed, Nami told them they could relax for a bit. Luffy lounged on what he designated as 'his seat' on top of the figurehead. Zoro leaned against the mast and fell asleep almost instantly. Emiko and Nami wandered inside to find the sleeping quarters.

Finding the women's room, or rather what would have been Kaya's room, the girls set about personalizing the area a bit. As they were designating out portions of the closet and choosing a hammock, Nami turned to Emiko, a speculative look on her face.

"Sooo, tell me. What's with you and Luffy?"

Emiko looked at the redhead in surprise. "Excuse me?"

"Oh come on. Don't play dumb. You two are dancing around each other, flirting quite a bit. Although I'm not quite sure if Luffy even realizes he's doing it. He doesn't strike me as the type that notices women," Nami said, tapping her chin thoughtfully.

Emiko rolled her eyes and continued storing the weapons she'd acquired from Kaya. "There's really nothing going on. He's... Cute, I suppose. But nothing will happen, of that I'm certain."

"See, _you_ say that but does _he_ know that? I've seen the way he looks at you, when you're not paying attention. And if anyone so much as touches a hair on your head he gets all uppity," Nami said smugly. Emiko gave Nami an unimpressed look.

"Luffy is just protective. He gets _uppity_ when any of us get hurt, except maybe Zoro. He expects Zoro to get hurt. So, let's just drop this subject and I'll pretend this conversation never happened."

Emiko finished putting her stuff away and moved towards the hatch so she could leave the room. "Fine, fine. Bury your head in the sand. I'll wait with an 'I told you so' when he does something blatantly obvious to show that he's into you!" Nami shouted as Emiko left.

Slamming the hatch shut to muffle Nami's mocking laughter, Emiko stomped down the hall towards the upper deck. "Stupid meddling, redhead. I should just let her leave for good once we reach Baratie." Upon reaching the upper deck, she grabbed hold of the rigging that lead to the crow's nest and made her way swiftly upwards. Once there, she slumped against the wall with a sigh and shut her eyes.

Her thoughts drifted to her situation as a whole, not just the fact that she was traveling with the Straw Hats. Part of her was still confused as to how she even got to this world. She knew that she'd touched the necklace for a moment and then bam! She was waking up in a different alley. It was possible that a way back to her own world was somewhere in the Grand Line, as ridiculous as it sounded. Using the Straw Hats to get there had been her initial plan but now... She was starting to _like_ them.

 _It was kind of inevitable_ , she supposed. Luffy had this, charisma, that drew people to him. Even someone like her who was generally very antisocial was easily sucked in. Zoro was relatable and after their little, conversation, she found him an easier presence to accept. Nami was intelligent and crafty, something that Emiko instantly connected with as she was very similar. Usopp she hadn't had time to really get to know yet but she had a feeling she'd like him. And then there was the conversation that her and Nami just had... She felt herself blush lightly and smacked her hands on her cheeks in mild horror.

It wasn't possible, was it? She couldn't have a _crush_ on Monkey D. Luffy of _all_ people!? Shaking her head violently in denial, she took a few deep breaths to slow her rapidly beating heart. _No,_ she thought silently. _I'll just treat him like I've always treated guys. With polite distance. No more touching and absolutely no more hugging._ Steeling her heart, she stood up in the crow's nest and let out another deep breath.

"Oi! Emiko! Get down here! We're going to toast our new member!" Zoro shouted.

She glanced down at the others who were all looking up at her with a smile. She grabbed hold of the rigging and made her way down. She hit the deck and took the giant mug that Nami was holding out to her. With a smile, she held up the mug.

"Cheers to our new ship and nakama!" Luffy yelled.

They all hit their glasses together with a happy yell. Emiko watched them all over the edge of her cup as she drank. It wasn't exactly home but it wasn't bad.


End file.
